Abstract Silver
by deathbyhugs
Summary: It was a change of fate for Kadaj. He was nothing but a shell, a body of thoughts. He was only made for the reunion, to carry out his mother's wishes. But given another chance at life, Kadaj finds himself unsure of what he really wants.[COMPLETE]
1. Altered

**Warning**: This story contains spoilers. If you don't want the movie to be spoiled, then don't read. Watch Advent Children, it's an awesome movie!

Author's note: Back again with yet another story. I've given this one much thought and the ideas have overloaded so depending on the response I get, it will turn into a multi chapter story, otherwise it'll remain as a one-shot. Like always, it would be awesome to hear what you thought at the end.

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**Abstract Silver**

**Altered **

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Sheer anger, strong and consuming, ripped through him. The world that surrounded him became nothing but a blur. His mind concentrated but only on one thing. His mother. Their reunion. Everything was irrelevant and he wanted nothing of it. 

Sunlight poured over his leather clad body, causing strands of silver hair to glow almost mystically. His eyes on the other hand, were dark, despite their color, and drowned in hatred. Cat-like slits consumed in jade were narrowed at the distant fighter which stood before him. He wanted to kill this man, the man who was preventing him from reuniting with his mother, the one that promised such blissful things in the end. He had to eliminate this bother. His brother.

They stood several feet from another, the space only keeping them apart for now. Pieces of dirt from the abandoned building slipped from underneath his boots, crumbling down into the remains of other buildings, such as this one. He maintained his balance, determined to end the life of Cloud Strife with a merciless death. That determination pressed him forwards, hounded at him to hurry and be through with it. He put up no fight.

From his place, facing the opposing force, Cloud readied himself for what was about to ensue. He gripped the handle of his five piece sword, getting a real feel for the thing. A small breeze, barely noticeable, rustled his blond spikes, chilling him. His mind was set and he felt no regrets about doing this. The people of Midgar needed some state of peace and the children needed anything but being subjected to violence. The younger man was going down.

Kadaj glared at Cloud through narrowed eyes that were covered mostly by his silvery locks. His body pulsed; his muscles balled up. He applied pressure to his feet and used that to jump up, high above Cloud. Souba was clutched firmly in his available hand, the one not grasping tightly onto the black container that his beloved mother was kept inside.

Wind pushing his hair back, away from his face, Kadaj raised the double bladed sword above his head. The blades glistened dangerously in bright rays of sunlight and showered Cloud's eyes with a blinding reflection that was created out of it. Kadaj then brought his slender body downwards, Souba pointed to the blond man.

Cloud reached flawlessly back to grab an attachment of his five piece sword, so quick that his movements could not be determined by the naked human eye. He was fully prepared for Kadaj's attack, placing the attachment onto his sword within a split second. Spinning it enough times to gather power, Cloud watched as Kadaj neared. If a weapon such as his that posed close to no threat to him would cause his death, then the master of it was dearly mistaken. He narrowed his eyes as well, more out of concentration than hatred, and he took his first swing at Kadaj.

Pain crippled him when Souba clashed against Cloud's sword. It burned him, sending the silver haired youth flying backwards. The tails of his leather coat, ends that were not strapped to his legs with silver buckles, flapped loudly as he helplessly fell. Nothing mattered to him, except the welfare of his mother. She would not be harmed in his fall; what kind of reunion was a funeral?

He saw the edge of the ruined building near, and acting upon his last resort, lest his choose an unlikely death, grabbed tightly onto the thick slab of concrete that stuck out of the building. It took little effort to hang on with one hand alone, he was gifted with unique powers after all. The grasp on the box however, was stronger than the one on the building.

Something shifted, quick and nearly soundless. Kadaj let an unwanted, but muffled gasp escape through his pale lips when he looked up with his jade eyes and set them upon Cloud. He felt at loss. The choice between life and death almost too complicated to bear. But he had mother with him and everything was going to be okay. They would have their reunion.

Cloud's sword was lowered. Kadaj stared at the sharp point, glancing up at the blond who showed no signs of taking it away. His mind raced with obscure ideas, too much for him to care about. This was a tight situation indeed and no solution could be brought forth. That left him with one option.

Kadaj tossed the black container with its yellow 'seal' tape wrapped around the sides, into the air. It was meant as a distraction and a further step into completing their reunion. Cloud ignored it and watched as Kadaj placed both his hands on top of the ledge he was standing on and shot forwards. Reflexes working sufficiently, Cloud quickly grabbed a hold of Kadaj's leather clad one and pulled him back.

The reunion would not be happening any time soon. Cloud cared not of how badly the younger man wanted to reunite with his mother, but no good could possibly come from it. There was a chance, a long shot, at changing Kadaj's mind for the better. He was going to try starting now.

Jenova's neck, surrounded by a green liquid, plummeted towards the ground miles below. It was better this way. No more pain, lies or treachery, as awful as they were, could be born from the devilish creature. Jenova. Nothing but flattened flesh and a hell of a mess to clean up. She was nothing more.

His body slammed roughly into the building, shedding more dirt and cement flakes that clung to his leather outfit. He helplessly and painfully watched, agony taking over any emotions he had obtained, as his beloved mother slipped from her entrapment and out into the outside world. Kadaj's cat-like eyes widened drastically as she became nothing more than a small dot, forever moving away from him. Their reunion had been canceled.

Cloud held on tightly while the younger man squirmed uselessly in his grasp. He wasn't going to let go, no matter how many times Kadaj begged. The blond tossed his sword to the side, now forgotten, and pulled on Kadaj, hoisting him up.

His nails, even hidden by the leather gloves, dug into the palms of his hands. Cloud paid no attention, set on bringing Kadaj further away from Jenova. He had no doubts that the crazy youth would jump after her just as long as he got that reunion, thus tightening his grip. Protests were blurted violently out of Kadaj's mouth while he thrashed back and forth. Strong as he may be, Cloud easily lifted him and the silver haired boy soon found himself laying on the concrete slab that Cloud had been standing on while his sword was threateningly pointed towards him.

"Why?" Kadaj used his arm, the one which a materia had been embedded in, to lift his heaving body up. Panting heavily from everything that occurred, he met Cloud's mako induced eyes.

"Jenova is nothing but a monster."

Kadaj took a swing at the blond, forgetting that Souba now lay somewhere quite possibly near his mother. He fell flat on his face, just in front of Cloud's boots. He let out something that resembled a growl and shot out his arms, towards the blond's legs.

"Mother is-"

"Gone," Cloud cut him off, voice in a tone of boredom. He grabbed a hold of Kadaj's arm and lifted him. He really saw no need to fight anymore.

A silence, one that could not be compared with anything else, grew massively between them. Kadaj seemed to grow angry about everything and began to fidget, eyes glowing darkly again. Cloud saw his reasons as good ones, but feared that the unbound rebel might do something unaccounted for. With no choice left, Cloud wrapped his hand around Kadaj's wrist, circling it entirely, and pulled on him lightly.

Jumping equally as high as Kadaj had been moments ago, Cloud took off with the silver haired youth held tightly in his grasp. For as long as he could watch over the rebel, Cloud needed to keep in under control and in sight. However, somethings needed to be done without him being around and Cloud knew what response he would get for keeping Kadaj alive.

Life was indeed complicated.


	2. Decisions

Author's note: Well, I really, really, really, really liked the response I got from one chapter alone, which was almost like an experimental chapter, and so I decided that it would indeed be a multi-chaptered story! A super huge thanks to anyone who reviewed and everyone who read it. Here is chapter two of Abstract Silver.

_Update: This chapter as well as chapter one have been edited.

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_

**Abstract Silver**

**Decisions **

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Cid had let them all off at Tifa's bar, Seventh Heaven. The strong minded fighter, having quickly positioned herself behind the bar, declared a celebration in the defeat of Kadaj and his gang. She hadn't seen him actually die, none of them had, but she had high hopes for Cloud and knew that without too much trouble, he had put an end to the annoying bother; that amazingly cunning youth. 

She took out small crystal glasses and filled each one with the right amount of hard liquor expertly. They made a light _clank_ noise as she drew small groups together, slowly lowering them carefully onto a dark brown saucer she used to deliver them to their intended consumer. But she wasn't a waitress, no way.

Tifa checked to make sure everyone would have their own shot of the brown liquid, minus the kids, Denzel and Marlene, who were upstairs waiting for Cloud. He hadn't shown up yet, not even called, but Marlene filled her in on the disappearance of his phone, so she couldn't blame him. But she knew something was amiss. It didn't take _that_ long to reach her bar. Nevertheless, Tifa continued to work hard and had stepped out from behind the bar, carrying the drinks to each and every one of her friends. The bar was closed for today.

Barret and the cigarette smoking pilot, Cid, sat at a small rounded table, talking loudly and commenting on several things. Cid lit up a caner stick, no surprise there, a smirk tugging on the corner of his mouth. Barret glanced at his gun arm from time to time, pleased that he had it, especially during the fight with Bahamut. When Tifa came around, giving them the first of the hard liquor to go, their expressions lifted as they grabbed for the small crystal glasses. With many thanks, Tifa left and headed into the direction of Vincent.

He was originally sitting at his own table, watching everyone intently, but had moved. It took the bar owner a couple of seconds to realize this and turned the opposite way, facing the bar, and spotted his unmistakable crimson cape, gold claw, and long midnight black hair.

"Want a drink Vincent?"

The older man, forever ageless and extremely quiet, only shook his head slightly from side to side, refusing her offer. Tifa gave him one of her smiles and went in search of Yuffie. As she left, Vincent contemplated on leaving to go find Cloud, but decided otherwise. He didn't need alcohol at this moment and settled for watching the two creatures off in the far right hand corner of the bar.

Cait Sith and his new perch, Nanaki, were half asleep, remaining quiet among all the chit-chat that had formed. The red furred creature was curled into comfortable position, head resting on his front paws, while the robotic animal remained on his back, keeping to himself, though mumbling from time to time.

Yuffie, Tifa found, was nowhere to be seen. She didn't have to look hard or even think for that matter about where the younger woman had gone. Tifa placed the drinks down, liquor threatening to splash over the edges. She went for the stairs, listening as a smirk formed on her face when Cid pushed his chair back and made for the refused drinks.

Upstairs, Tifa caught the ninja looking for materia. The younger woman froze, standing as still as a brick wall, eyes wide. She looked for an escape route, but Tifa was blocking the best one. She sighed in defeat, watching Tifa through half lidded eyes as the older woman took a step forwards. The bar owner had made a grave mistake.

Using a small amount of her never ending energy, Yuffie quickly sprinted past Tifa, down the stairs and into the bar. That girl never failed to amaze her.

* * *

Dirt crumbled under their feet, but it was now turning into mud. The sky was heavy with clouds, all the same, dark gray color. The first raindrops splashed onto them, causing the one being dragged to wince in pain. Quickly, the amount of rain increased. They needed to reach a place of safety, one well sheltered and free of any leaks. 

Kadaj stopped, bringing Cloud back with him since the older man a strong grip on his wrist. He clawed at his face, feeling the pain build up as more rain connected with his delicate skin. His eyes wanted to close, even they weren't safe against the Planet's liquid. But before he could let any signs of how much pain he was in slip, Cloud had dragged him to the side, pulling him under an overhang of a building that was nothing more than a stack of rafters and wooden planks.

"... Niisan, I can't."

He was out of breath, out of energy. Even his well trained body couldn't stand anymore of the events today held. He longed for his mother. If she was here right now, she would've helped him. But no, he was stuck with the traitor, his brother, his rescuer. Kadaj's thoughts towards the older man were still bitter, but he did owe him his life. And now he was going to get killed, being out in the rain. His skin crawled at the simple thought of it, twisted, turned, and burned as the pain he had pushed back while running had finally caught up to him.

Cloud remained silent, taking in his surroundings and remembering where he was. The bar wasn't that far way, but if the others wouldn't allow the suffering youth inside he might die. He really couldn't save any lives, but this was a start, or maybe there was no start and no matter how many times he tried, he would fail. His thoughts shattered as a light tug on his arm brought him out of his depressed state. He looked to the side and met Kadaj's jade eyes.

"Can we go now?" He bit out between clenched teeth.

"You will have to run."

Kadaj's body immediately screamed in protest, doubling him over in pain. His knees met the soaked ground that was under his feet only moments ago, and grunted as the wetness alone seared his skin through his tight leather gloves and leather armor.

He should have tried better to have their reunion. Now everything was lost to him. His mother, who was no more in his mind's eye, and his brothers, Yazoo and Loz. They were irreplaceable, as was the one called Jenova, his dearly missed mother. The only thing he had left was the blond man, who had managed to help him up without even noticing it. He looked at Cloud and felt something well up inside of his aching body and decided that he might be able to give life another chance.

When Cloud stepped into the rain, Kadaj reluctantly followed, and was met with even more pain. The older man knew what was happening and hurried along with the youth in tow, heading straight for Tifa's bar that was no more than ten feet away. He only hoped his long time friend could find it in her heart to come to terms with the silver haired rebel.

Grasping tightly onto the doorknob, Cloud pushed it open and brought Kadaj in. As expected, everyone inhabiting it at the moment fell silent. He had no time for worrying over what they thought and made for the stairs.

Kadaj had been fixed to the doorway, unable to move. He saw their distrust and their anger towards him and would have normally paid no attention, preferring to walk away, caring for nothing but what happened to him and ignore them while keeping a straight face, but he felt strangely alone as Cloud walked away, oblivious that the youth wasn't following him. But as the blond just reached the stairs and the sound of footsteps that should have been there were not, he turned around to see Kadaj staring around at everyone, looking absolutely vulnerable.

He passed Tifa, offering her an apologetic smile that matched the look in his eyes, and walked over to Kadaj. Cloud then felt just as exposed as Kadaj must have, with all eyes on him this time. He had some explaining to do, no doubt, but that would have to wait. He looked at Kadaj, reassuring him with a hidden message in his eyes that read of forgiveness, and found that he almost had to move the boy, since he wouldn't budge.

"Niisan ..." Kadaj whispered, but it came out like a whimper. Cloud found that hard to believe, but moved forwards, nonetheless, with the boy in tow.

This whole place was unsettling; making him nervous. He wanted to escape from here, but he had to repay his brother somehow and planned on staying until an idea, be it big or small, crossed his mind. The silver haired rebel reached the top stair, body overrun with immense pain. He detested this place and now the strange smell that came with the top level of the bar only drove his determination to get out of here further. He had never smelt it before, having missed the luxury of being able to play with children's toys and have a sense of belonging. And right now they reeked.

Cloud opened the door to Denzel and Marlene's room, and was unable to say a thing or move for that matter as they jumped onto him, cheering his name repeatedly. He placed a hand on Marlene's small head and looked at Denzel, who still had an ugly trace of the Geostigma growing on his head, threatening to spread into his eye. It brought forth that same feeling of depression that he had went through for over two years, but once again Kadaj broke him out of his trance, yet this time when he snapped back into reality, the children were frightened.

To Denzel, Kadaj was barely recognizable, only from being under some sort of spell by the youth himself. But Marlene hadn't been tricked into drinking the black water and remembered Kadaj very well and ran behind Cloud, peeking at the rebel from behind the blond's leg.

"It's okay Marlene," he reassured her, but she wasn't convinced.

Kadaj watched this, and he too remembered what had taken place. Everything had become such a blur up to the last hour or so, giving him many problems. If this little girl, who had saved Cloud from losing his head to Souba, was apart of his life, then Kadaj knew he would have to get along with her and pose no threat. He raised his hands, turned around and let a half hearted smirk appear on his pale face. It was the best he could do.

This wasn't his sort of thing anyways.

Barret's adopted daughter still remained in hiding, along with Denzel. Cloud stepped to the side, surprising both children as they were put out in the open, no longer able to hide. They scurried after him, but stopped when he bent down, looking at Denzel.

"The Geostigma, it needs to be curred."

Kadaj moved over to a window that overlooked the streets below, letting Cloud handle his problems, and watched as several children, most of whom he had made drink the black water, dance happily in the rain. He longed for the happiness they displayed, longing even more for the reunion, yet he suddenly realized that it would never happen.

It hit him like a brick.

Cloud moved the boy Kadaj recalled as Denzel, and they walked to the door. The older man turned back for a moment and held a deep look of questioning within his pure, mako eyes. He told Denzel to head downstairs and patted Marlene on the head.

"Will you stay here?" He asked Kadaj, half expecting him to refuse, given his nature, which didn't seem to be around anywhere.

Kadaj could only nod his head, unable to speak. His pain was growing rapidly, his heartbeat felt like it was surpassing unimaginable speeds. As he watched Cloud leave through his vision that was already beginning to fog up, he felt his legs turn to liquid themselves, just like the rain, and the need for his mother greater and greater.

By the time Cloud was downstairs, slightly explaining to everyone what had taken place, the rain stopped and from up in the room with Marlene watching him closely, Kadaj's world went black and he toppled down, onto the hardwood floor.


	3. The trouble with Kadaj

Author's note: Wow, thanks for all the support! I just can't help but working hard to get all these ideas flowing and more and more chapters out for everyone to read. This story has caught 100 percent of my attention so there is no possible way that I'll ever stop writing this (until the end of course). But for now I leave you will the third installment of Abstract Silver!

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**Abstract Silver**

**The trouble with Kadaj

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**

Marlene shifted in her standing position, looking wearily at the sleeping rebel in her bed. He looked the complete opposite of what he really was while awake. Her sharp eyes caught the blotches of red, irritated skin, that showed up like black on a white background, almost hidden within a crook in his neck. She extended one of her small arms to get rid of the leather collar that was in her way so she could get a better view of the nasty battle wounds that were obviously underneath, but a hand prevented her from doing so.

"You should be careful," Tifa whispered from behind.

The room was empty, save for Kadaj, Tifa, and Marlene. Everyone else still remained downstairs, but some had left to assist Cloud, refusing to have anything to do with the silver haired rebel. Tifa was lucky enough to have quietly tip-toed away without being noticed. Now she too watched as Kadaj slept, unsure of how to react about Cloud's unquestionable decision.

Tifa had assisted Marlene in raising the youth to the comfort of the child's bed, surprised at how little he weighed. After filling Tifa in on what Cloud had said, Marlene had convinced her that he couldn't hurt them now that Cloud was around. But he wasn't, causing Tifa's instincts to overreact as she watched every movement he made and every breath he took between almost life threatening pauses, ready for the inevitable.

Kadaj stirred, silver eyebrows coming together tightly as his eyes clenched tighter than they already were. A small gasp, mainly out of pain, escaped his pale lips as his body began to thrash from side to side, silver hair becoming entangled. His pain filled eyes sprang open, startling both bystanders, before he was flung back into the mattress. Kadaj didn't even spare them a glance, then tumbled back into a world of dreams, nightmares, and the like.

It was completely cold here, bone chilling cold. Blue mist, hazy and almost hypnotic, encircled his entire body, assisted with the freezing temperatures. Everywhere he could see nothing but darkness and felt nothing but bitter pain coursing through him. Even his own hands were undetectable in the darkness that filled this strange place. It caused his mind, body, and senses to scramble. He was left vulnerable. Then, like a good dream come true, a bright light, horrendously blinding, filled the dark void.

He felt the warmth it brought, basked in its glory. A pair of invisible hands wrapped themselves around him, protecting him from the cold. Nothing troubled him. He felt completely safe. Suddenly a voice, pure and heavenly, whispered in his ear like a flowing river.

"_Kadaj ..."_

He knew that voice, it was mother's voice. Kadaj felt himself spin around, looking for her, but only met the darkness which he was being protected from. The cold feeling returned, as did the insecurity. He wanted his mother back so she could keep him safe.

"_Mother, where are you going?" _His voice echoed all around when the light began to slowly disappear.

The warming light was replaced with a much different one. It felt so familiar and when a strong voice full of understanding and cruelty mixed together as one, filled the pitch black nothingness of his dream, Kadaj could only stare blankly as a tall figure emerged from out of nowhere.

His hair was so incredibly long, stretching farther than Kadaj thought humanly possible. His eyes were icy and promised death. They studied him from in the dark, making the silver haired youth feel like he was being watched by a monster. A strong air circulated around him as he neared. Kadaj then got a better look of armor and an insanely huge sword.

Sephiroth.

"_Kadaj,"_ his calm voice swept outwards. _"The reunion Kadaj ..."_

"_Complete the reunion_." Two voices combined, mother's and the powerful Sephiroth's. They demanded the same thing, in different tones, but still as one. It was the last thing Kadaj heard before he was sucked back into the miserable reality he dreaded to face.

As his weakened body, frail and in need of repair, moved at his will, Kadaj fluttered his eyes open, eyelashes lightly brushing upon his pale skin in every attempt he made. Finally managing to get them open, he looked around, finding himself in yet another unfamiliar place and made to sit up, but a crippling pain snaked up, through his ribs, and went right for the unnoticed wound that had been inflicted by Cloud.

He never realized just how bad it had been, too concentrated on killing the blond man than his condition. When that huge sword came in contact with his body, it must have done some hidden damage since Kadaj could not recall how the pain had gotten there. He could barely recall anything. This was a problem.

Raising a leather clad hand, Kadaj pressed it gently over the main area of pain, a spot just above his ribcage. He hissed, withdrawing his hand, when he accidentally applied too much pressure and set off an explosion of pain. When he heard a small gasp come from his right, Kadaj looked over, cracking his neck in the process of doing so, and rested his jade eyes on a girl clutching onto the hand of an older woman.

Past memories, ones that were clear enough to understand, flooded back into his mind. He remembered the child, but the woman was a complete stranger. Deciding that he didn't want anything to do with them, Kadaj turned his head that was resting upon a big, plush pillow, and looked out the window by his bed.

Through its thin layer of glass, bordered by a wooden frame, droplets of rain, iridescent in the new rays of sunlight, stood out like the light had in his dream. Kadaj watched as a few trickled down, leaving small water trails. His mind shifted over to Cloud, and he began to wonder where exactly he had gone, especially without returning.

Sounds of water filled his ears, but they were not from the rain outside. Kadaj gave up on ignoring the racket as it progressed and turned to face the small girl, who was dipping a plaid cloth into a rounded metal tub, squeezing it to take any unwanted water out. Before he could do anything, she had made her way over to his bedside, a grin on her face. He looked around frantically, trying to find any means of escape, but the look he was receiving from the older woman pushed all thoughts away.

Her ways of warning worked efficiently.

Marlene pressed the cloth gently onto his forehead, drawing back once it was set in place. She studied the rebel's face, but was met with a pair of jade eyes. She didn't like the expression they held inside, mostly evil, and once again stood beside Tifa, away from Kadaj and his unspoken threats.

The ceiling suddenly became interesting as boredom rooted itself into Kadaj. He had never been under a roof before that kept all the elements out and he had never, ever slept in a bed as comfortable as this. Spending most of his life sleeping on the floor or sleeping outdoors, Kadaj preferred the latter over everything else.

His mind closed everything off, even the two strangers in the same room as him. The ceiling was a clear picture in his eyes, but it suddenly began to sway from side to side, becoming unbearable to look at any longer. Sharp, needle-like pinpricks of pain hit his head, giving him a massive headache. He tried hard to keep focus on the ceiling, but as a voice echoed inside his mind, he found that he could not, that it was entirely useless.

_You must complete the reunion ..._

Kadaj slammed his eyes shut, felt protective tears form as the pain worsened. He shook his head from side to side, his breathing becoming ragged and forced. There was no way out of this and the headache grew more immense, causing his head to pulse with pain.

Tifa watched all this occur from a safe distance, unsure of how to react, but stepped forwards without further thinking. She placed a hand on his leather protected shoulder, and was thrown back a couple of steps as Kadaj jump-started awake, eyes a color of sick green. She grabbed Marlene protectively, placing her behind her own body to keep her safe if the silver haired youth tried to do anything.

His mind raced, heart beating beyond its normal speed. The pain in his head only strengthened as that same voice, nothing but a whisper, grew into a loud screeching noise. Kadaj stood solidly on the wooden floorboards, back turned to the frightened people, and grabbed his throbbing head, hoping it would stop the pain from multiplying.

His idea, a good one at first thought, turned out to only add to the pain. He lifted his head, eyes locking onto the rain kissed window. His body began to shift away from it, the voice demanding that he turn around, but he tried to block it out. The battle raging on, unknown to Tifa and Marlene, caused Kadaj to spin in a few short lived circles as he fought for the control over his body. The two bystanders watched on as Kadaj neared the window and fell backwards, shattering the glass and falling out.

Tifa and Marlene ran to the broken window, glass crunching loudly under their thankfully protected feet. Where Kadaj should have been was littered with the missing shards of glass, glimmering in the sun's glorious rays of light. They looked to the side and watched as Kadaj's retreating form put more and more distance between the bar and himself.

* * *

A hand full of water splashed onto his forehead. A tingling sensation, one he had never felt before, formed where the healing waters had touched. He looked up at Cloud, a joyful expression on his face. He was finally free of the Geostigma.

A loud cheer from a small group of people who had come to witness this, rose quickly and lasted a long time as they too jumped into the water. Children's laughter, a rare thing indeed, mixed into the happy voices of their parents and anyone else who had come by, echoed all around. It was incredibly joyful in here, even Cloud couldn't help himself but smile as children bounced all around him, smiles plastered to their faces. However, something was bothering him.

He had left Kadaj alone with his friends, and something bad was bound to happen. He patiently waited until Denzel was ready to leave, not wanting to rush him or anything. The younger boy was lost somewhere within the group of kids, but he departed from them and made his way over to Cloud, who was now standing among a joyous bunch of adults and a couple of his friends from the bar; Vincent, Cid, and Yuffie.

Denzel's smile was completely genuine, something Cloud had never seen before. He opened the double doors of the church, waiting until the boy was out before closing them. Outside sunlight pooled over them, warming their skin. They walked away from the church, leaving it behind. To Denzel this was going to be a grand life starting now, and as they headed back to Seventh Heaven on foot, the exact same way that they had gotten here, he couldn't wait to return to the others and see their happy faces. But something put a frown on his face. It was the sounds of angry people yelling at something from behind them.

Turning, they witnessed a form, nothing but a blur, push it's way between the group of people who were now gathered around the church. Sunlight bore down onto the hair of whoever it was, illuminating brilliant silver, a dead giveaway to Cloud.

It was Kadaj.

He looked down at Denzel and saw the disappointment on his young face that he would once again be leaving. This time he was going to return. Offering a lopsided grin, Cloud placed a hand on his small shoulder and knelt down.

"Go inside and stay with Vincent. I want you to go back to the bar and make sure everything is okay, alright?"

Denzel couldn't decide what his answer would be, but nodded anyways. Something was obviously wrong and Cloud needed to put an end to it. That's what he always did. But first he would make the older man promise him first.

"Promise you'll come back?" He asked in a quiet voice as Cloud began to slowly walk away.

The blond turned around and looked steadily at the younger boy, finally giving him the answer he wanted to hear. "Yeah."

Nodding once again, Denzel watched for a few moments as Cloud took off in hot pursuit of the silver haired rebel. The boy went back into the church and advised Cloud's friends that they needed to go back, and fast.

* * *

His heart pounded inside of him as he raced after Kadaj. He had no idea how the silver haired rebel could maintain such a fast pace in such a badly weakened state, but it was beyond him. Strands of blond hair got in the way of his vision, blocking Kadaj's form from him. He had some insight as to where the younger man was going, disliking every aspect of it. Time was against him now and he knew that if he didn't get there before Kadaj did, then the worst would show its ugly self.

Not only was he far from keeping up with the silver haired youth, since Kadaj had a head start in the first place, but Cloud was also weaponless. If anything happened that would turn Kadaj against him, (the possibilities of that happening were all too high for his liking) then he was in for a real treat. The only way of defending himself was backtracking for his sword, but he had forgotten where it now lay, somewhere amidst the ruins of Shin-Ra's old building probably, but it wasn't worth the time. All the chaos was pilling up and Cloud was feeling every effect of it now.

Familiar buildings, crumbled and damaged beyond repair, from the previous fight with Kadaj sprang up, driving Cloud's need to get to Kadaj's intended destination further and further. By now he was only ten feet behind, but it was too far behind for his liking. There had to be a quicker way, a shortcut if at all possible.

His mako eyes, squinting against the bright rays of sunlight, caught onto a break in one of the buildings. Cloud only hoped that it would lead him to their destination, if not he could always make a path through them. The need for a weapon resurfaced again when the blond man realized that the quickest way of doing that would be with his sword.

Damn it all.

Quickly making up his mind, Cloud followed Kadaj instead of making his own path, deciding that anything might get in the way. With his legs working at an incredible rate, heart beating in tune with them, Cloud prepared to fully stop the rebel as a small form on the ground neared.

He used the last of his energy and jumped upwards, over Kadaj, and landed in front of him. The silver haired rebel failed to stop and crashed into Cloud, knocking him to the side. He quickly regained his balance and grabbed for the object Kadaj was after, missing only by a few inches.

The box he had seen Kadaj with, holding it like it was the world, was swept up by the silver haired rebel, where it once again rested closely to his chest.. It was damaged from Cloud's sword previously, ripping the 'seal' tape that had been around it. The lid was still surprisingly intact, even after the fall, but didn't remain attached to it for very long when Kadaj took it off.

Cloud grabbed his wrist, using as much force as necessary, but not enough to hurt him badly. Kadaj struggled violently, refusing to let go of the box Jenova's neck was housed in when the older man attempted to take it away. He let out a scream of anger and went to attack Cloud with his fist, managing to rip that hand away from the blond, but Cloud caught it with his own hand and pulled back, making Kadaj forcefully loosen the grip on the black container.

Using this to his advantage, Cloud knocked it away, disgusted as Jenova's neck slipped out from within it's contraption, onto the rain stained ground, a trail of green following closely behind. An awful stench filled his nostrils, forcing him to hold back a gag. He then let go of Kadaj, but still kept watch over him as the younger man looked at his mother, eyes becoming unclear and hazy.

Kadaj was on his knees, bent over the stench ridden neck. He clenched his eyes, fighting back the anger that was boiling up inside of him. He heard Cloud take a step forward, pieces of broken buildings and worn cement crunching under his boots, but paid no mind. A hand was placed on his shoulder, startling him. Kadaj felt all the anger begin to let loose and forced out another pent up scream, this one more out of sorrow than anger over the loss of his mother.

Cloud lightly squeezed Kadaj's shoulder in comfort, unsure of how to rightfully act at the moment. When Kadaj finally shifted from his uncomfortable position, Cloud raised his hand away. The rebel began to shake from abusing his weakened body and fell backwards. Cloud's reflexes took hold and he lowered himself to one knee, catching Kadaj before he slammed into the wet ground underneath.

Frowning, Cloud stood back up and lifted the unconscious boy, walking back towards the church with Kadaj cradled in his arms.


	4. Every wound will heal

Author's note: Wow. The reviews are just wonderful! Thanks to anyone who read the last chapter and who let me know what they thought. Some little insight for this story: It'll progress further and further into my evil little plot line and the chapters will be better. Once again, expect another update one week from now or sometime around that date.

* * *

**Abstract Silver**

**Every wound will heal

* * *

**

By the time that Cloud had arrived, Kadaj in his arms, everyone had left the church to continue on with their lives. It was getting dark, the day finally coming to an end. The sun was slowly retreating, gracing the sky with astounding colors of red, purple, and a rare baby blue color that faded into hot pink clouds. The streets were empty and nothing moved, leaving Cloud and Kadaj to themselves, weaponless and tired.

Brown, double doors creaked open in the silence of the night, alerting Cloud's dulled senses. The smell of flowers, peaceful and calming and forever gone from being damaged, filled his nostrils and the distinct aroma of pure water combined with it. Cloud stepped forth, carefully shifting Kadaj's slumbering form so he wouldn't smash his head or his feet into the strong doors.

It was too early for the moon to be out, but it pooled down into the ruined church nonetheless, spreading over everything that was inside. The water where both Cloud and Denzel had been cured of the Geostigma, the illness that plagued so many innocent victims, sparkled in the moonlight, perfectly illuminated by it in a picture of pure serenity. Despite the darkness outside, it was completely light in here, something rare and never seen by Cloud before. And even though small waves of cool air brushed over their bodies, a surreal feeling of warmth seemed to blanket itself around them, keeping the cold away.

Cloud took a step forward, into the middle isle, wooden floorboards making a very audible _creaking _noise as his black boots crossed them. His pace was slowed, tired legs forcing him to continue and his mind as well. He was clueless as to where he was going to put Kadaj, somewhere away from the water, but the wooden benches lined in two perfectly straight rows were the only inviting objects within the building, broken or not.

The calming sound of the water pooled nearby lapping back and forth onto the broken floorboards began to lull Cloud into a state of drowsiness, eyelids fighting desperately to remain upwards. But the blond somehow managed, blocking out all distracting sounds and concentrating on a lone church bench ahead, intact and without a trace of dust as well.

Kadaj's breathing was labored, heart working hard to keep a steady beat. When Cloud walked under one of many small cracks in the church, the moonlight pooled down upon him, making his hair shine brightly under it. The rebel's features were pained however, and so far Kadaj had made no attempt at waking up; just another problem for Cloud. Even as his body was being lowered to the wooden bench that was a mere four inches away, the once arrogant and energetic rebel neither moved by himself nor showed any change in his facial expression.

Gripping as tightly as he could without hurting the younger man, Cloud placed Kadaj onto the wooden surface below him, resting his head down first, trying hard not to cause any disturbance in his sleep. Hardest part over, the blond then set the remaining half of his slumbering body down, lightly pushing him snug against the back of the church bench to make sure that he wouldn't roll off the side in his sleep.

Kadaj mumbled something incoherent, rolling his head so that it was facing the shimmering waters, silver hair spilling off the side of the bench. Cloud paused, stopping in mid-step when the quiet noise reached his half alert ears. When the rebel showed no more signs of movement or any attempts at getting up, which surprised Cloud since Kadaj had a mind of his own, the blond turned on the heel of his boot, going back to what he had originally planned on doing; scouting everything out and looking for anything of his that may have survived the wrath of Aeris' waters.

Moving farther and father away, Cloud couldn't help but glance back from time to time, checking to make sure that Kadaj hadn't woken up. Once he was somewhat convinced, Cloud went to the small spot where his sleeping bag, lamp, and other pointless items had been only the other day. Setting sight on them, the blond was slightly surprised to see that they were all there, save his box of materia which had been stolen by one of Kadaj's brothers.

The other brothers, where could they have gone? Cloud's mind hadn't even touched upon the thought of where they were and if they survived the explosion on the bridge or not. Somehow he wasn't convinced that Loz and Yazoo were dead, knowing fully how almost indestructible they seemingly were. But wouldn't they have at least made some attempt to contact Kadaj? Perhaps they were severely injured, thanks to Reno and Rude's explosion, and were hunting them down this very moment? Cloud was amazed that his mind was functioning this well, even if it wasn't the best, and forced his mind on other matters, such as what the hell was he going to do with Kadaj now that he was on the brink of passing into a further state of unconsciousness and maybe slipping away into the life stream.

Bending down, Cloud wrapped his hands around the edges of his sleeping bag and uncoiled it from the tight bundle he had placed it in. He could use this to keep Kadaj warm and then try to get some sleep of his own, even if he knew that it would be extremely hard. Nevertheless, Cloud took the now uncoiled brown sleeping bag and walked over to Kadaj, his footsteps giving him the impression that his feet were only hovering above the floorboards since he was trying so hard to keep quiet. A miracle, really, for the wooden boards creaked at the slightest amount of pressure applied to them.

Cloud stood over Kadaj, staring down at his painfully shut eyes and a frown that had formed on his pale lips. He quietly took the sleeping bag and tossed it over his now trembling body, having been exposed to many elements without much care, and made sure that it covered most of him, before turning back around, puzzled about the rebel's condition and what could be done to stop it from escalating.

The water made a _splash_ noise, startling a very tired Cloud. He spun around, facing the water, prepared to fight even in his worn condition. But when he met nothing but the empty space, overflowing with moonlight, he stopped and his heart gradually returned to its normal pace. Figuring that it was only a piece of the broken roof that had fallen into the waters below, Cloud stepped forward, half lidded eyes scanning everything that stood before him. When nothing seemed to be out of of place, the blond went towards the water.

There was no denying it this time, something really was making the water splash. Cloud heard it once more, tilting his head upwards to look at the cloudless, star filled sky above. Then, out of nowhere, a small crystal clear drop of water, the same size and shape of a tear, fell and landed in the water at his feet, splashing into the healing waters and creating a ripple effect. Whatever reflection of the outside world that had been there was shattered, looking exactly like a encased picture in glass would once it fell roughly onto the ground, breaking its sparking, crystal protector all over the floor.

Cloud remembered vividly the reaction Kadaj had once the water rained upon him, and thought against the idea of treating the rebel with it when the idea surfaced. There was a chance that the water wouldn't harm him in any way now that he had nothing to be so cruel over, but there was still a possibility that if he decided to heal Kadaj with the water, the younger man may very well flip out and scream as pain entered his body once again. It was just that there was no other choice right now but to try, and Cloud could care less what damage was inflicted upon his own body by youth if his actions proved to be fatal. Better safe than sorry in this situation.

Deciding to test it first before he did anything, Cloud went to the area where his sleeping bag had been, now just a dustless mark on the floorboards, and dug around in his small, but neat pile of belongings, and withdrew a small cloth which he had packed away for reasons unknown even to him. Quietly, well as quiet as he could get, Cloud stepped around any loud floorboards that he had memorized from staying in the church for such a long time, two years to be exact, and made his way back to Kadaj.

His skin color had been pale to begin with, but Kadaj looked like a white sheet, even more so when a beam of moonlight shone through a crack in the stone ceiling. His breathing was so faint that it was nearly impossible for Cloud to pick up any traces of it as he came within a few feet of the slumbering rebel, quickening his pace once he saw the deathly pale color of his skin. It clearly must have drained over the span of ten minutes; no sign of its original color placeable in the natural light beaming down upon them.

Hand outstretched with a dripping cloth clutched tightly within his grasp, Cloud placed it on Kadaj's forehead, almost afraid that if he wasn't too careful that the rebel would be reduced to nothing but ashes in his weakened state. When Kadaj still showed no signs of improvement, not even a grunt of pain, Cloud reached over to him to take the cloth away, but Kadaj suddenly shot awake, jade eyes livid with hidden pain, though Cloud got the idea that it wasn't from the water, but from other things. So much had transpired in such a short amount of time, the blond couldn't help but feel pity towards the younger man.

Kadaj forced himself up, seeing nothing but darkness from the sudden drainage of blood to his head, but the glimmering waters in the moonlight stood out like a sore thumb. He felt helpless, being within ten feet of the water, and began to panic from past memories of the burning pain he had endured when the life stream mixed with the water and attacked him, protecting Cloud too. There was so much pain running through him right now that it did not matter anymore, just a small numbing sensation that crawled up his injuries every few seconds. Kadaj was weaponless, he was mildly bewildered, and could not concentrate on anything else except the pure water, pushing himself fully against the back of the church bench and hoping for some means of comfort and protection against his small insecurities.

The rebel gripped the top of the wooden bench he had once been laying on and applied just a little bit more pressure then needed. He felt it wobble for a split second before he crashed down with it, falling backwards. More pain was added, but Kadaj felt the burning go away and looked up, to where the cloth had once been, now laying in a dirty heap on the floor near by, and felt a cooling effect come over him, driving it away. It was like it was ridding him of his sins, though Kadaj knew he had too many to be rid of once and for all.

Cloud walked over to where Kadaj lay sprawled on the ground, dumbfounded at what happened since his mind could only take so much running on little rest. He went to retrieve the cloth, the sounds of Kadaj's ragged breathing in the background, and dipped it into the waters again. The small dirt particles washed away, leaving the cloth as white as it had once been.

Still as quiet as he had been moments ago, Cloud sauntered over to where Kadaj was, hidden behind the now ruined bench, cloth in hand. He couldn't see the younger man, but tiny, almost invisible, strands of hair shimmered in the moonlight. Once again the workings of Mother Nature had clued Cloud in on where Kadaj was.

Cloud peered over the wooden ruins, expecting Kadaj to be there, but found nothing. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion, but before he could do anything, a leather clad arm shot up from under the bench, breaking it in two. Cloud struggled to stay balanced when the death grip on his arm tightened further. When it became too much for even him to handle, Cloud released the grip on his cloth and let it fall on top of Kadaj's now exposed head.

"Why... am I still... alive?" Kadaj rasped, voice dry and pained. He looked around, searching for something, but Cloud already knew what. "... Where's mother?"

Cloud placed his gloved hand over Kadaj's and forcefully made him loosen his grip. He stared down at the younger man and remained silent, unwilling to answer. Kadaj only became panicked and flew upwards, using speed that Cloud thought the rebel could not possess at the moment.

"Mother!" He yelled, voice hitching in his throat when pain seized him. He stopped in front of the water, barely noticing it, and staggered backwards when the point of his boot became enveloped into it.

Watching from afar, Cloud folded his arms and leaned against a stone pillar, shuddering at how cold and lifeless it felt. Kadaj was still dazed, as if he was in some sort of trance, and finally fell down, dangerously fast, into the floorboards. Within a few short lived seconds, Cloud was at the scene of the crime, hovering over Kadaj.

Something stuck out painfully on the rebel's neck. Once hidden successfully by the collar of his leather armor, it was now exposed as bright moonlight revealed what Marlene had spotted before Kadaj had taken off. However, this looked much worse than what his had been, amazing Cloud that Kadaj managed to hide it so well and for so long too.

The blond sat down beside Kadaj, who now had his eyes open, jade, cat-like orbs staring blandly at the older man. He noticed immediately what Cloud was looking at and went to cover it up, but his body failed him and his arms remained uselessly at his sides.

"Geostigma," Cloud said in a quiet voice, coming close to a whisper. "... But this is different."

"That's because mother chose me," Kadaj sneered, despite his weakened state.

"Well your 'mother' is dead. Get used to it."

Kadaj rolled his head to the side, watching as the water seemed to hypnotize him as it lapped back and forth, never going over the splintered floorboards too much. As long as they stayed away from him Kadaj was fine. But right now he wasn't fine and his mind was so completely scrambled that his consciousness began to flicker again.

Changing the subject, Kadaj whispered, "I am not supposed to be alive." He closed his jade eyes, feeling the cold moonlight embrace him. "After all, I'm just a body of thoughts," he remarked, hearing the words Cloud had spoken earlier ring through his mind; a distasteful reminder of what he truly was. It didn't matter if he liked it or not, there was no changing it.

Cloud kept silent, eyes devoid of any emotions. He silently debated what he was going to do with Kadaj, especially when his arrogant flair returned, if it did. He could always look for his brothers, but Cloud was determined to keep them a secret and let the rebel believe that they were dead, even if it was a cruel thing to do. The world suffered enough from their recklessness and dangerous attitudes. Not to mention all the pain they inflicted.

"Body of thoughts," Kadaj repeated in a murmur, voice barely audible. He rolled his head back, so that he was facing Cloud and opened his eyes, small black slits adjusting to the light. "But aren't you a body of thoughts also, _niisan_?"

"I've found my place," the blond replied. "Jenova is nothing to me." He pushed himself up, off the ground, but one of Kadaj's gloved hands grabbed him, preventing Cloud from going anywhere.

"Why did you do it? Why did you let me live?"

Cloud shook Kadaj off, trying hard not to hurt him, and went in search of his sleeping bag. He was extremely tired and the rebel's questions were getting to him. Cloud found it, coated in a layer of dust, and pulled it out from underneath the ruined church bench. He raised it in the air, giving it a quick flick, driving all the dust away. There was a small rip on the one side, but Cloud paid no mind to it. He went back to where Kadaj was, sleep already attempting to overpower him.

The silver haired rebel was asleep when Cloud arrived back where he had fallen, breathing now at a normal pace and some color was already returning to his face. The blond looked from the church bench back to Kadaj, then back again. Walking over to the younger man, he spread the sleeping bag over him and made his way to the bench, one that was within a few feet of Kadaj's injured body.

Folding his arms tight against his chest, Cloud bowed his head and closed his eyes, moonlight making his hair a healthy chocobo yellow once again. Sleep finally got the best of him. As he drifted into another world, the blond whispered, "Because I don't want anyone else to die," then everything went black.

Bathed in moonlight, the two figures lay motionless under the rather damaged roof of the church, in a peaceful state of mind. A gentle breeze came from outside, brushing past one flower that had managed to survive everything that all the others were put through, glowing an iridescent yellow. Clouds formed and finally covered the moon, leaving Cloud and Kadaj in complete darkness and solitude.


	5. A world of disorder

Author's note: This chapter doesn't have as many words as the previous ones, but that's only because there's more talking then descriptions. Things have indeed be hectic around here so it was incredibly hard to write this chapter, but hell I did it anyways. Just a small little note regarding last chapter: The response was _so _awesome! I can't believe it! Thanks! And for such a nice little lift to my mood, I shall give you another chapter and, what's this? More Cloud and Kadaj interactions of course! Thanks once again!

* * *

**Abstract Silver**

**A world of disorder

* * *

**

He woke to a comforting warmth that radiated onto his face. It was a pleasant change from the cold of the night, and Cloud appreciated it greatly. He hadn't quite woken up get, hovering around the brink of sleep and the constant demands that he open his eyes and move around. The blond wanted to rest more than anything at the moment and turned to the side, feeling his body fall fast to the right where it collided with the church bench.

The sunlight was golden and intensely bright, spilling through any available hole or crack in the stone ceiling of the church. The water sparkled crystal clear under its morning rays, blinding Cloud with the brightness it was creating. Any remains of the flowers Aeris had were now visible, scattered around like autumn leaves, except these were of value. When Cloud looked up, eyes wandering around everything, taking in his too familiar surroundings, he watched as lines and lines of dust danced about in the sunlight, like they were mimicking fire.

In this peace that had settled itself in Cloud, he had not yet looked over to where Kadaj was and when he did, mako eyes widening somewhat, he found the younger man curled up in the fetal position, arms wrapped tightly around his knees.

Kadaj was obviously in a lot of pain. Easy to tell since his eyes were clenched so tight that protective tears shimmered in the sunlight. And not only did the sunlight reveal his tears, but the rotting blotch of black skin on the side of his neck, looking just as painful as the expression he wore on his face. He was trying to hide his pain by covering his features with his silver hair, but failed when he uncurled and let out what sounded like a scream of pain, muffled by the collar of his protective leather coat.

Cloud flexed his tired muscles, grunting as he stretched one in his arm a little too far, and sat up, slowly moving over to Kadaj. He was cautious, not quite too sure of what to do, but moved closer nonetheless when the younger man uncurled himself, despite his pain, and sat upwards, back facing Cloud.

"Go away," Kadaj bit out.

"We have to get that cured."

"There is no cure, didn't you know that?"

Cloud stopped mid-step, silenced. He had not forgotten that, being a victim of the Geostigma himself, but he had still not come up with a solution to Kadaj's problem. However, he wasn't about to give up, and broke the silence between them with a small grunt, walking so that he was within centimeters of Kadaj's personal space, which the rebel seemed to savor greatly.

"We can try to find something at least."

"Funny. Just funny."

Kadaj raised a shaky hand to his neck and immediately snapped his head to the left, hand falling limply to his side. He looked down, studying the small skin patches that had came off with the contact and dipped his still gloved hand into the water beside him. The same cooling sensation crept up the length of his arm, causing him to withdraw it when it grew too cold for him to handle.

Cloud remained silent, watching Kadaj with his pure blue eyes and could easily feel all the misery that was hanging heavily in the air, like a pollutant. He went to take another step forwards, so that he would be facing Kadaj, but the younger man stood up and whirled around, eyes fighting desperately to prevent the pain from showing.

It was the first time that he had been able to stand since he felt faint and his legs were forced to adjust to the sudden change, causing Kadaj to stagger to the side slightly. He still remained silent, a glare now settled upon his pale face. His hair, usually flowing over his one eye, had been tucked neatly back behind his ear, but the rebel still maintained his looked of glowing anger.

"You should have left me!" Kadaj snapped, pain seeping into his weakening voice.

"I promised myself that I would not let anyone else die."

"I don't care. Do you think my life is worth saving if I'm just going to rot into nothing anyways?"

Cloud said nothing, but chose to respond in his own way with silence, staring blandly at Kadaj. The rebel obviously wanted an answer and crossed his arms, flinching when the muscles moved painfully in his neck.

"Do you?"

"If there was cure for the children's illness, there will be one for yours."

Simply put, but Kadaj wasn't satisfied. He turned back around after giving Cloud one last glare. He let his weeping legs rest by sitting down near the edge of the healing waters, legs folded neatly under him. He was incredibly silent, not even making one comment. Kadaj, forgetting about the cooling sensation from before, dipped his hand back into the water and spun it in full, circular motions.

"What about my brothers?" The question alone sounded innocent enough, but Cloud didn't have any clue as to where they were, or if they even survived the explosion on the bridge for that matter.

"I do not know."

"Are they... dead?"

"If they were alive, don't you think they'd at least make some sort of an attempt to find you?"

Kadaj stopped what he was doing, and hung his head lower than he already had it, silver hair swaying lightly to the left before it went still. The air in the church became thick as if someone had just pumped it with fog. The silver haired rebel remained silent before his body shook from anger and the sensation of vulnerability.

"Listen..." Cloud had other things he needed to do right now and made to leave, but Kadaj's voice cut through any ideas of doing so.

"Tell me about mother."

Kadaj needed his thoughts to be taken off his older brothers and was fed up with all the weird emotions that plagued him since Cloud took his mother away. The rebel never knew enough and wanted to know more about his mother. How she would bring them all together. How they would all unite and have a reunion. How he was blessed with the 'illness' Cloud was talking about, that would draw them closer. He wanted to know everything.

"I want to know about mother."

The blond blinked twice, as if seeing Kadaj for the first time, and wondered if the younger man would ever understand who and what Jenova really was. He decided to give him some information, not too sure if Kadaj would want him alive in a couple of seconds. Cloud retreated to a near by bench and sat down, hands by his side.

"Jenova. She crashed down into the planet years ago. Her cells were used on many people and you as well." Kadaj stopped swirling his hand in the water, interested in what Cloud was saying. "But Jenova is nothing but a rotting piece of flesh, or used to be." It was the cold hard truth and Cloud knew Kadaj wouldn't accept anything he said anyways.

"Don't talk about mother that way," Kadaj's voice was nothing but a whisper.

"Look, I going to go and get my motorcycle, then I'm taking you to the Healin Lodge, if you like it or not."

"I'm not going back to that place," Kadaj spat, remembering the blond man in the wheelchair who had tricked him and recklessly thrown his mother over the edge of a thirteen story plus building.

"Doesn't look like you have much of a choice."

"I can stay here." Kadaj went back to circling his hand in the water, but as he did so a dark aura came about, polluting the water. "Ah!" The rebel pulled his hand as if he had just placed it in acid and backed away slowly, more weary of the water than ever. "What's wrong with it?"

Cloud was exhausted and needed to go and at least tell Tifa where he had gone, but wasn't too sure if he should tell her about Kadaj. He left the rebel where he was after one last glance and made for the doors, but Kadaj's struggling movements to get up stopped him. He was doing that a lot lately.

Kadaj became faint as the movement in his arms caused white hot pain to spread throughout his body. The black patch of skin stung tremendously and felt like it was only spreading further as the muscles in his body shifted. However, he did manage to fully stand, though his body was slumped to one side as to prevent any further pain from crippling him.

"Wait for me."

"You can't even stand up properly, stay here and don't move until I get back."

Kadaj wasn't one to take orders, even if his life depended on it.

"You can't just leave-"

Cloud turned around and opened the doors, the hinges creaking loudly in their ears. He stepped outside, feeling the stronger rays of the sunlight hit his back, and turned back to Kadaj's direction, looking at him sternly.

"Please don't go anywhere," he said exasperated.

Kadaj staggered towards a church bench beside his leg and sat down, facing the opposite direction of Cloud. He spoke no words, keeping dead silent. The blond sighed out of frustration and closed the doors as swiftly as possible, keeping quiet himself.

* * *

Tifa stood behind the marble table top of her bar, cleaning the glass, thoughts of Cloud on her mind. She was worried for his welfare, especially with the crazy silver haired rebel on the loose. And worst of all, he was completely unpredictable, and that bothered her the most.

After a great deal of reassuring, Tifa had managed to calm her friends down, convincing them that Cloud could handle the younger man by himself. Denzel had then burst through the door only moments later, causing more commotion. The other members of their group were there too, asking if everyone was all right. Frankly, things weren't at the moment.

She knew that Cloud would eventually come back, but she had found herself trying desperately hard not to pick up the phone and call his number, even though he misplaced his cellphone. The atmosphere had grown very tense. She hoped that something hadn't gone wrong, as did the children. Cloud would never leave the children.

Denzel and Marlene were upstairs, coloring something that they planned on giving Cloud once he returned. Their hopes skyrocketed with high expectations he would come back, always reassuring themselves. Tifa worried that their hopes would crushed if the blond never showed.

Quietly setting the glasses back into a black cupboard, the bar owner let a small sigh escape her mouth and break the silence that had wrapped itself around her. She dried her hands with a white and orange plaid cloth and set it down on top of the counter, walking over to the door, planning on locking it. Just as she was about to, the door opened suddenly and the last person, the only person she was dying to see again, stood in the doorway, a tired expression on his pale features.

"Is Denzel okay?" He said in a quiet voice.

Tifa regained her lost balance and stepped aside, allowing Cloud to enter the bar. She flicked the lock shut and went behind the marble counter. "Want a drink?"

"No thanks, I'll be leaving soon."

The cheery expression that Tifa had worn for only a few moments fell off her face, and was replaced with a somewhat saddened one. She placed the two glasses she had taken out back into the cupboard and answered Cloud's previous question. "Yeah. Denzel's just fine."

Cloud opened his mouth to talk, but was cut short when the hollow sound of small feet speeding down the stairs filled the silent atmosphere.

"Tifa!" Marlene spoke in a joyous voice with a little annoyance mingled in it. "Look what Denzel did!" She pointed to a piece of paper that the boy held tight in his small hands, one of Tifa, Cloud, Marlene and himself. Then, Marlene placed a hand on her hip and pointed to her face. "And look what else he did Tifa! He colored on my face!"

Cloud and Tifa both smirked at the markings on her small face. Sure enough black marker was strewn about, in lines, circles, and the odd shape here and there. Marlene didn't look too pleased at the two adult's reaction and began to pout. Something clicked inside of her mind, having not really pictured Cloud there, and forgot the matter, running headlong towards him.

"Cloud! You came back to see us!"

Cloud looked downcast, not wanting to disappoint Marlene or Denzel. "...Yeah," he whispered.

"How long are you going to be here for?" Denzel spoke up.

"...Not very long."

"Awwww," their childish voices clashed together.

"But I promise I'll be back soon, okay?"

Denzel seemed somewhat pleased, as did Marlene, but Tifa didn't. She looked more disappointed that he would be leaving than either child did. But she managed to give him a half hearted smile and went over to where Denzel was standing, walking around the marble counter top, and took his picture over to a small fridge, pinning it up with a tiny black magnet.

Tifa turned back to Cloud, who was giving his last good-byes to the children and leaned over the counter top, arms crossed. "Don't get yourself killed, alright?"

"I'll try not to."

He gave a small wave to them all and unlocked the door before stepping out, leaving the small group of people who had cared for him for so long. Cloud didn't spend any time wandering around and quickly went to get his motorcycle, knowing exactly where he had left it.

Kadaj would probably be bored out of his mind by now; breaking things, Cloud assumed. He couldn't waste any more time away from the rebel, knowing all too well how much havoc he could dish out in mere seconds. Time was an essence right now and the blond was thankful that he had some means of transportation.

Starting it up with a roar, Cloud spent a few seconds looking back at the Seventh Heaven bar, then sped off towards the church. He was going so fast that it was nearly impossible to dodge some of the objects that made themselves known only seconds before he almost ran them over.

His speed was good on his part. The church was coming up fast, but the worry in the back of his head that Kadaj would not be there was becoming overwhelming. He sped up a little more, carefully watching his speed, though it was recklessly insane.

Cloud stopped sharply, right before the double wooden doors of the church and jumped off the bike, not bothering to see if it landed alright or not, but he had installed an automatic kickstand so it didn't matter. The blond opened the doors, just as abused as the floor was from both Kadaj and his own motorcycles, and stepped inside.

Everything was the same. Sunlight still pooled down, onto the floor, though brighter. Nothing had been moved, not one church bench missing. The water lay in a calm pool ahead, sparkling blue, green, and gold. The same thick layer of dust still hung dearly onto parts of the floor, places that Cloud nor Kadaj had ever walked before. Everything was fine.

But Kadaj wasn't there.

Cloud rushed inside, eyes sweeping over everything, trying to find and trace of the silver haired rebel. He stopped in the center isle, just before the healing waters, and looked deep inside, hoping that he hadn't fallen in. Thankfully Kadaj wasn't there.

He checked behind and under every bench, in every small space, in every corner, behind every pillar, but Cloud could not find Kadaj. He ran back to the center isle and looked upwards, trying to see if he was on the roof anywhere, but the rebel was not.

Kadaj was missing.


	6. With reasons unknown

Author's note: Where oh where has Kadaj gone? Only I know, but don't worry you will too in this chapter. See, I needed a turning point in my story that basically asks "What will happen to Kadaj?", "Will Cloud ever find him?", and so on and so forth. Anyways... Keep on readin' and thanks for all the wonderful reviews!

* * *

**Abstract Silver**

**With reasons unknown

* * *

**

His mind was racing faster than what he thought humanly possible. The small gears inside his mind twisted and turned, bringing a headache out of the sudden lurch in his heart and the savage fear that was now consuming him. He felt small beads of cold sweat form on his brow, slowly glistening in the beautiful sunlight. He knew that if he didn't get a hold of himself by now, that he would become weak. He hated being weak.

Cloud checked his surroundings over again, eyes becoming so unfocused that it hurt to even make out the church bench in front of him. A cold sensation crept up his legs and ran all the way up to his head, burying itself deep inside his self consciousness. It was then that fear of everyone's safety, the lack of food and sleep (though he rarely slept anyways), and the constant pulling in the back of his mind that warned him of this exact situation, got the better half of the blond and hit him with a crippling blow, sending Cloud onto his knees.

Hard floor boards crashed into his worn kneecaps, now frail from being abused so badly. There was a pinching feeling there, but Cloud paid no mind. A small dust cloud floated in the air above his legs, nearly invisible due to the lack of light in the shadowed area of which Cloud now lay in. The sun was hitting the wrong places and the blond was left in the dark, yet again.

Weak as he may be, Cloud forced down all the foreign feelings as slowly as he could manage and mentally commanded his legs to move, unsure if they would budge or not. He needed to find Kadaj quickly, before any havoc could be brought about Midgar for one last time. He highly doubted that there would be no more, but Kadaj had done a high amount of damage to the city and who knew what else the silver haired rebel would do while on the loose.

New energy, from sources unknown, were pumped into his weakened body, giving Cloud the strength that he so desperately needed. That, and the determination to protect the people of Midgar and save their lives was there to assist him. In a few short lived minutes, after much stalling and deep thinking, the blond found himself standing at full height.

A sharp pain in his ribs quickly forced him to move. Cloud swept his eyes across the pool of glistening water, searching once more for the body of Kadaj, but finding him missing yet again. Then, in a staggered fashion, Cloud moved towards the huge double doors of the stone church and stopped; something unseen from before catching his eye.

They were faint, but they were there. One set of tire tracks, ones not belonging to Kadaj nor Cloud himself, but of someone else's and fresh too. Cloud bent downwards, ignoring the knotting feeling he got in his lower back, and examined them closely, one eye squinted shut lightly.

With the help of the golden sunlight, they gave Cloud the clues he was looking for. Sure enough, the blond did not recognize them and followed the path that they had made in the light layer of dust. The black skid marks stopped just barely in front of the healing waters, sticking out like the Geostigma once had upon Denzel's forehead. And from there, the tire tracks came back towards Cloud, zig-zagging from left to right before they went past the doors.

He absolutely did not know where the person driving the motorcycle, who took Kadaj, had went, but that feeling of bad things to come gave him no choice but to find out, even if it took all day and all night. He was going to find Kadaj.

Cloud stood straight, back arched in unnoticed perfection, and regained his balance after his vision went blurry and the deafening sound of blood rushing in his ears finished its melody. His first step towards the outside world was a bit forced and caused him to falter oh so slightly. Another step followed, silent like an owl in mid-flight, and another, until he was standing before the brown double doors; scratches, splinted wood, and indents coming clearly visible with his close distance.

With one effortless push, the doors _creaked_ open and bathed both Cloud and the inside of the stone building with even more warming light. But the day was growing old and dusk was soon to follow in a couple of hours, a great problem to Cloud. His search should be done in the light, there was a disadvantage while fighting in the darkness. Who knew what fiends lurked among the shadows nowadays.

As Cloud stepped outside, black boots now coated with the dirt on the ground, a shadow was cast behind him, just as bland and distant as he thought himself to be. He looked upwards, finding his motorcycle in semi-perfect condition, despite the heavy damage that had been dealt to it There was no time to waste as the sun began to lower itself, driving the frenzy the fear had worked up to into overdrive.

However, there was one thing he had to do before going off in search of Kadaj. If anything happened to him, then nobody would have any clue as to where he went and thought it wise to at least inform his childhood friend of where he was going and what he intended on accomplishing. He knew there would be plenty of objections, but they were irrelevant now.

Cloud stepped on the gas lightly, feeling the motorcycle rumble beneath him, and sped off. The wind blustered perfectly through his jelled hair and often pushed it in his line of view. But Cloud simply ignored it, as he would anything else, and continued on.

In no time the bar was in sight, the large sign reading 'Seventh Heaven' sticking out clearly amidst the pale color on the outside. When it was above him, the blond harshly stopped his bike, sending him forwards quite a bit, and jumped off after he recoiled from the sudden stop. But before he could do anything, the door had been swung open and in the doorway stood Tifa, looking both surprised and worried for Cloud wore the strangest expression on his face that she had ever seen.

Was that fear?

Quickly he said, "Tifa, take care of the children. I'm going to be gone for a while."

"What's wrong?"

Although he didn't want to admit it, hating to feel like he had failed something yet again, but doing it anyways, Cloud hurried his answer. "Kadaj escaped and I have to find him before anyone gets hurt. Nobody else is going to die."

Tifa didn't reply for quite some time, then bobbed her head up and down in a tight manner, before they ushered their brief good-byes and parted ways; Tifa going back into the bar and Cloud heading off into the opposite direction.

He really needed to find Kadaj.

* * *

The grass turned into gravel and the gravel into sand. His vision blurred as his body was tossed momentarily upwards and then back down, where pressure was applied to his starvation stricken stomach. He could feel the blood rushing to his head, flowing so fast that he would be seeing black spots one moment, then red ones the next. It was becoming tiring and he was extremely bored.

Streaked in colors that surpassed those of the other night, the sky was a perfect replica of flickering flames pressed against a dark background. There were no disruptions around them, nothing but the gentle gust of wind that was only caused from being up so high. It wasn't the right time for the infinite amount of stars to appear, but the moon was visible as its glow bore right through the sheet of pale clouds that had attempted to hide it.

Visibility was slowing being reduced as the sun sank farther and farther away, the edge of darkness and all within it waiting impatiently to be reborn into a new world. Nightfall would be soon, but the sun, so strong and its rays still holding a great amount of warmth, was holding back, as if afraid of leaving all those under its care.

Ahead, though unseen by Kadaj, stood a thin object. It was a sword, the Buster sword, the exact one Kadaj had kicked down a couple days ago. The two circular parts near the handle where materia had once been placed within, cast two small moonlight circles onto the ground below.

A sudden stop only applied more pressure onto his stomach as a hard object dug almost painfully into him. He lifted himself up the best he could, eyes taking in his new surrounding and recognizing them from a time before he had truly met Cloud. Propping himself up by pivoting his elbow into the back of a taller figure, Kadaj was now able to regain some composure and drive away the faint feeling which came along with being carried upside down, over someone's shoulder nonetheless.

He was itching for something to do. The wait for Cloud had been nerve racking and extremely boring for his part, but at least he was able to move about and do things, like glare at the water and imagine that it dried up. Not here. No way was he going to stay like this forever.

A figure strutted gracefully to the edge of a massive cliff that overlooked Midgar. Behind the shadowed person was the one who was currently carrying Kadaj, it's movements slow and forced from time to time when the silver haired rebel adjusted to his position and made a small grunting noise before going completely silent. Hell, they were all silent.

The working lights of the city below gave off a glow that was always invisible when out in broad daylight. But now it stood out like a light in the darkest room imaginable. With that came the advantage of being able to see every major area or building, an excellent advantage indeed, for they all needed it to see where _he_ would be heading towards. It seemed impossible from all the way up there, but they did harbor things that no ordinary human could ever master or accomplish.

A building, straying away from the others, still intact and giving off more than enough light from a new, natural source, illuminated long, flowing silver hair. It swayed in the gentle breeze, curling to the right and then back down, where it rested neatly onto the shoulders of its owner, the one standing on the edge of the cliff.

Bruises littered his pale complexion of his face, darker than the night itself. There were multiple cuts and bleeding wounds all around, some through a midnight black material that was used as protection. And just like the lights of Midgar, many small orbs glowed in fluorescent colors amidst the night. His breathing was irregular, forced and uneven, mostly from the distance they had walked and the injuries he had sustained from a previous battle.

The second, more buff looking figure, who had Kadaj slung over his shoulder, finally managed to reach the end of the cliff as well. He too sported silver hair, though done up differently than the man before him, and his walking was in staggering movements. One cut on his right cheek, deep enough for medical care, had crusted dry blood around it. There was one slice to his abdomen, longer length wise than width, and exposed the wounded skin beneath.

Kadaj blew a few stray strands of hair out of his face, jade eyes glowing dully in the darkness. When the person carrying him stopped, he made it known that he wanted down by lightly bringing up his right leg and knocking it against the head of the man who was breathing heavily. He didn't get any response for quite some time, but was lowered down eventually.

The sand like ground underneath couldn't have felt better. He stretched his aching muscles and flexed his still gloved hands, cracking his wrists while rotating them in circular motions. Most importantly, his vision was returned, though reduced and useless since it was so dark out. The silver haired rebel stood up momentarily and headed towards the cliff where the two taller figures continued to stand, setting eyes upon a glowing Midgar for the first time.

"The reunion...," the one with flowing silver hair spoke in quiet tones, voice nearly snatched way in the wind. "Where is mother?"

Kadaj sat near the edge of the cliff, bringing his knees to his chest and wrapping his arms around them. He was becoming drowsy and sleep called his name loudly. It was hard to fight off, but the voice of his brother snapped him out of it.

"She... is... gone," Kadaj closed his eyes and felt the familiar warmth that sleep brought along. Then something slipped into his line of thought and he was forced to mouth his demands, slurred by the effect that sleep was having on him. "Why did you take me?"

"Why were you at the church?" Was the only answer the rebel received.

"Yazoo," the one who had carried Kadaj to their location asked, "When can we rest?"

Kadaj wasn't about to answer to his older brother. He didn't know why, but he hoped that Yazoo would not find out that Cloud had prevented him from having their reunion and keeping him in the church. Yazoo would never know if he kept silent, which is exactly what Kadaj was intending on if further questioned about that. He didn't have to answer those questions anyways, he was the leader before, so why not now?

"I was looking around," Kadaj said in a hushed voice, his arms getting in the way of his voice that wanted to project outwards, but could not.

Silence was created, rather reborn, into the world that surrounded them. Loz shifted, uneasy about the way Yazoo was acting and his shortened temper. His eyes closed briefly and reopened seconds later, wandering down to the city below, then let out a pained sigh and sat down himself, muscles stinging in a silent protest. Across from him was Kadaj, who had let his leather clad arms fall uselessly to his sides and stared blandly ahead, making it hard for Loz to determine where his gaze had been pointed towards.

Kadaj's mind was tired, as was his entire body. He put up no fight against the overwhelming sleep that now spread through his like a wild fire. But there were thoughts of what the future held for him alone, and what it would be like without his mother and without the distant blond. Kadaj didn't even know why his mind kept on wandering back to the older man, not caring about it either, as he looked deep into Midgar, in hopes that he could locate the church. But it was worthless.

Away from his resting brothers, Yazoo remained restless and nowhere near as tired as Kadaj and Loz. There were some things he needed to do. Kadaj was unable to lead them, it was unquestionable. He knew that mother had to be alive somewhere, anywhere. His younger brother must have made a mistake in their mission, even though it seemed to be a false accusation, but he would fix it and their reunion fulfilled. But first Yazoo needed some more information.

"Oi, Kadaj," the unimpressed man, who needed to know about the blond, asked, "Is niisan still alive?"

Kadaj knew that he could not deny his brother from hearing the truth, but didn't want Cloud to be involved in any of this. This was whole new problem and the blond would have nothing to do with it. Yazoo obviously did not want 'no' as an answer, so the silver haired rebel gave him the correct one, though forced and slurred from his drowsiness.

"...He is... alive."

Yazoo's gaze hardened as Kadaj spoke words of truth, despised and just what he didn't need in his life right now. His own words were cut short when white hot pain rippled throughout his body, causing his eyes to narrow and wounds to sting. And to add to the list of dread that was without a doubt inside of his mind, Yazoo could make out the speeding form of a black object headed in their direction, quite a familiar looking one too.

"Loz," he spoke calmly, "get our brother and leave. He is here now."

Suddenly the silver haired rebel didn't feel so tired anymore. If Yazoo's assumptions were right, then Cloud was bound to show up and finally some real action would take place, it was boring here anyways. As Kadaj slowly raised himself up on shaky legs, he noticed that Yazoo had his hand pointed towards the blond and he knew very well what that meant.

Yazoo was calling upon the shadow fiends.

"This should stop him..."

Before Kadaj knew what he was doing, he had thrown himself at Yazoo, preventing his older brother from doing what he had intended. They landed harshly on the hard ground beneath, dust spinning around their collapsed forms and blinding Kadaj temporarily. He had no idea that his body could still contain some form of power and remained still, Yazoo's struggling body managing to slip out from under him.

"Why did you do that?"

In the darkness that had entrapped them within its mighty grasp, Yazoo's voice rang loudly in his tired ears. It had grown terribly silent, forcing Kadaj into another world, a state of mind which he was unable to do anything. But it was the mixed emotions and those foreign ones that were causing it. Kadaj went to answer, but his mouth remained closed.

He didn't know why either.


	7. Come into the light

Author's note: I'm updating early! Again! Wow! Just think of this as part one of my little x-mas present to anyone who actually reads my stuff. This chapter may be a little bit smaller than the previous ones, but I have been awfully sick while writing this so I apologize. But before I leave after yet another boring author note, I'd like to give an infinite amount of thank yous to everyone who has read and reviewed because the response is incredible (in my standards) and the amount of people who have actually read it are super huge. Keep on readin' and keep on reviewing! Oh and Merry Christmas too.

* * *

**Abstract Silver**

**Come into the light

* * *

**

He could see them from here, standing upon the exact same cliff that Kadaj had been on when he had called the shadow fiends back. It had been their first almost encounter where he had almost got a bullet right between his eyes. Had he not been wearing his sunglasses, Cloud would have been dead.

Kadaj had caused a lot of trouble, yes, but it was all for one reason: Jenova. The silver haired rebel, Cloud knew without a doubt, still needed something to hold onto despite his arrogant behavior and the level of leadership he possessed over his two brothers. Without their mother, their monstrous Jenova, each and everyone of them would eventually be unwilling to live in the end or the Geostigma would see to their demise. That was clearly Jenova's fault.

As Cloud raced towards them, leaving Midgar behind him and the church as well, his mind stopped its spinning rampage and froze when he remembered the promise, though small in words but worth more than the world to Denzel, and had to refrain from stopping completely while his motorcycle exceeded unsafe speeds.

Not only was sheltering Kadaj from the other's a problem, but Cloud couldn't think of a time where he would he able to return back to the bar. There was no way that Kadaj would be safe by himself, completely unpredictable and suffering more than he had been before from Jenova's little gift, her precious Geostigma. It would be hard to convince the others to give it some thought about their view and opinion on the younger man and there was also the fact that one of Kadaj's brothers had kidnapped Marlene. Definitely not the best thing to do when Barret was her adopted father.

Yes, things would be complicated.

It was then, while Cloud's thoughts were concentrated on what the near future would be, that he noticed the one standing near the edge of the cliff began to raise his arm, aimed directed at Cloud himself. Shapes of the shadow fiends began to appear, but as the moonlight pooled down on the three figures, making them nothing but far away shadows, the one sitting down sprang forwards.

Cloud knew that it had to be Kadaj. After all he was the smallest out of the three. But it was surprising to say the least. That also meant that things weren't going to go by as smoothly as he had hoped. His life would obviously be in danger, but Kadaj's would be too if he kept opposing his brothers and acting out just as randomly as he had when throwing one of them to the ground up on the cliff.

It was going to be a close fight.

* * *

Pure moonlight, as bright as it could possibly get, showered all those under its icy beams with such intense brightness that it became just as hard to look at as the sun. From below, it illuminated small petals of a dying flower, all traces of its once pink color now completely drained to look like a wilting weed. Caked in dust, it made amends with the cracked ground that shriveled roots attempted to hold onto and was carried silently away by the wind, completing two full spins in mid air before it floated like an bird's feather in the darkness under the cliff.

The buster sword, nothing but a shadow and a reminder of a painful past, stood in the exact same place Cloud had thrust it into. And just like the sword, the three silver haired brothers looked like nothing but shadows from afar, only moving to pace back and forth or stand completely still for long, dreaded seconds. Even from a long distance away, it was evident that something was bothering them greatly, every movement a dead giveaway.

A cloud of dust rose into the air, polluting the moonlight surrounding them as Yazoo kicked it in irritation. His leather clad body was only a shadow, his silver hair the only thing distinguishable in the never ending darkness. He moved swiftly from his position behind Kadaj and walked with practiced grace to the furthest distance he could get between his younger sibling.

Yazoo had remained silent, terribly confused as to why Kadaj would pull off such a stunt as saving their enemy's life. His eyes displayed the perfect picture of cruelty and a never ending void of distant thoughts, all wrapped into a package of icy jade eyes. He had spoken no words after moving as far as he could away from his younger sibling, standing at the furthest point of the cliff where small pebbles broke free from the thick rock and plummeted into the black void below them.

The silence was deafening. Even as the wind had picked up so that it was now howling in their ears, it could not be heard. It was so overwhelming and so sickening that Loz had already begun to shift uneasily as he constantly moved his eyes from Kadaj then to Yazoo, and back and forth again.

Loz, the eldest out of the trio, didn't even have to make an attempt to see where their niisan was, he could already feel his power from their high place. There was no doubt in his mind that some form of trouble would arise, something a lot bigger than what he had estimated before hand. Whatever would take place, Loz knew they were going down.

Away from his older brothers, Kadaj sat, curled tightly into a ball, arms wrapped protectively around his knees in a death grip. His silver hair whipped fiercely into the side of his bowed head, causing small pin pricks of pain to arise, but only to fade moments later. He kept his eyes painfully shut, closing out the world around him, and dare he say, afraid of what was to come.

Since he body was not being forced to move at all, sleep was penetrating all the barriers that Kadaj had put up to stay fully awake. The silver haired rebel no longer closed his eyes for his uncertainty, but for sleep itself. Soon, despite his sluggish fights against it, Kadaj drifted into a different world that had once been his only means of an escape from reality...

* * *

"_Kadaj ..."_

"_Wake up Kadaj ..." _

Blinding light filled his vision. Kadaj knew right there and then that it wasn't the moonlight who was to blame for his pain stricken eyes, but a light of the past, one he despised with all his heart. There was never anything else but this light, consuming everything and making his senses completely unwilling to work. He hated the light just as much as he hated his past.

Realistically, the same smell had risen, disturbing and haunting at the same time. It was a mixture of medical equipment and disinfectant. Even before Kadaj regained his ability to see, he knew where he was and struggled to go back into reality, away from his nightmarish past, but could not. He was completely stuck.

Kadaj felt his eyelashes brush against his face before he slowly opened his eyes, vision blurred and unfocused. He didn't want to see what lay before him, afraid in his own childish way. He felt small, vulnerable, and helpless. Once his vision focused perfectly, the silver haired rebel was faced with the exact same room he had feared to see once again.

Tiled floor panels, as bland as a piece of paper, were finally noticed as Kadaj unwillingly moved his foot. The walls were cracked and were of a sickly gray color. It smelt damp in here, quite possibly from the small pools of water that lay scattered everywhere on the floor. It became evident that there was other life in here, scientists in fact, that mumbled to one another and jotted down notes from time to time while they stood silent and still, watching Kadaj patiently.

He felt isolated and became very nervous as many beady eyes, covered by thick lenses, came closer and closer as he tried to move. But Kadaj was completely numb. There was no feeling at all in his body, except for his feet and fingers. His mouth was frozen shut, unable to protest against the dangerous looking eyes. The feel of his hair was unclean and sopping wet from the small droplets of water that splashed lightly onto his head.

"The testing is going well," one of them spoke in a loud voice, though it went unheard by Kadaj, who found that he couldn't hear as well.

The silver haired rebel didn't know how to read lips and only watched as their mouths moved mindlessly, ushering words that he could not depict nor wanted to hear. It only strengthened the awful feeling that was growing like a plague inside of his body and mind. This was too much to handle.

One of the scientists motioned to the side, looking at a tall man who held a small case in his right hand, dangling loosely by his side. Kadaj tried to move when he neared, but his vision went black when his body denied him the luxury to be able to at least stretch. Then, as the silver haired rebel slowly regained his vision, he found that the tall man was no longer in front of him, but beside him.

Cold metal plunged into the tender skin on his neck and a icy fluid was injected into his bloodstream. Kadaj tried to move more than ever as the sedative worked faster than he thought possible and could do nothing but let his body give into it.

The cracked ceiling and a few scientists leaned over him and for a few seconds he regained his ability to hear. "The Jenova treatments are about to begin" were the last things that Kadaj remembered before he world was wrapped with darkness and broken apart.

* * *

Loz shook his younger sibling's shoulders, trying to get a response from the sleeping Kadaj, who had begun to mumble slurred words and shake violently. Kadaj showed no sign of waking so Loz gave him one more shake, harder than the last, and fell backwards slightly when Kadaj lashed out from his sleeping state. It was not out of anger but of not knowing what was happening. However, Loz was still strong enough, even when he was incredibly worn and weak, to maintain his balance and stand fully before his body collided with the cold ground under them.

Jade eyes, cut perfectly into cat-like slits, shone brightly as the moonlight bore into them. Kadaj surveyed the world he had thankfully been thrown back into and offered Loz a somewhat apologetic shimmer in his eyes when the silver haired rebel rested his gaze upon him, then to Yazoo, who had turned around to see what all the commotion was about.

His pale face showed no expression, neither did his nearly identical eyes. When Kadaj looked almost expectantly at him, Yazoo turned his back and watched silently, wind shifting his hair back and forth, as the speeding shadow came closer and closer with every second and every minute that passed.

Kadaj made a quick glance towards Loz again, finding him looking up at the moon, the look of a lost child illuminated on his facial expression. The silver haired rebel knew they were all lost without their mother, after all, she had been the only reason why they survived through everything and had the will to live in such hard times as these and those of the past. But they would have to move on from here, no matter how ridiculous it sounded.

Their mother was their greatest loss.

Things would definitely change, Kadaj thought as the moonlight pooled down upon him. It reminded him of the water in the church, cold and pure. And at this moment, Kadaj actually missed the secure stone building with its many broken church benches and loud creaking floorboards. He wondered, eyes resting on Midgar from afar, if he would ever return to that place again. But he chances of that looked pretty low.

As sleep slowly overcame Kadaj once more, he was met with incredible pain instead of the comforting warmth and clenched his teeth to the point where he was sure that they would crack, trying to hold it back. He could not stop it, no matter how hard he tried, as the Geostigma made itself known once more, giving Kadaj a small taste of what his future would hold if he could not get rid of the terrible illness.

He reached for his right hand and pulled off the well fit leather glove and tossed it to the side. He reached upwards, the pain slowing his progress terribly, and rested a pale, delicate hand on his neck. Immediately Kadaj was met with a burning sensation, directly in the center of the palm of his hand, and drew back, startled from how awful it felt.

There was a sharp stinging sensation on the left side of his neck, the core of the Geostigma's resting place. "Mother!" He yelled when the pain seemed to rip at his skin, trying to pull it free from his neck. His vision went blurry as his older brothers rushed forward, confused at Kadaj's outburst, but upon seeing the patch of skin that was darker than the night itself, they understood.

"We have to move him," Yazoo spoke urgently, though he remained calm.

Loz lifted Kadaj's now limp arms into the air and placed his muscular ones underneath, pulling the suffering rebel upwards. He looked back to where Yazoo was, getting ready to heave Kadaj upwards, and gave a tight nod before the youngest out of them all no longer lay on the ground.

Kadaj was barely awake, often slipping in and out of consciousness. He looked towards the moon above and ignored the lingering pain in his neck, which had begun to spread further, almost to his chest and his back. Then, just as it had happened while he slept at the bar, those voices began to whisper promises of things he longed for.

"_Kadaj ..."_

"_Do not be afraid Kadaj, everything will get better..."_

"_... once you complete the reunion..."_

His mother was persuading him with her hypnotic words. They were extremely calming and already Kadaj could feel his pain begin to evaporate. But he was slipping away from the real world and he didn't want to, not this time, no matter how hard he fought he was not going to stay awake and away from the hellish world that awaited him beyond sleep.

"_Come into the darkness Kadaj ..."_

There was a loud ringing noise in his mind as Jenova's voice became slightly irritated. The pain returned shortly too, causing Kadaj to open his eyes, but when he did, the silver haired rebel realized that his mother had not been the only part of the loud noises, but Fenrir, positioned not even ten feet away.

Yazoo dropped Kadaj's legs out of pure shock and reached for Velvet Nightmare, perfectly intact since he had used the gun Loz owned to fight with Cloud on the bridge. His eyes sparkled vengefully in the moonlight, promising nothing but death, and spun to face him, silver hair entangling itself around his face briefly. But he didn't need to see to know where to hit and pulled the trigger, the sound of breaking flesh greeting him pleasantly.

Loz, unlike his brother, placed Kadaj carefully onto the dusty ground, obviously understanding how much pain it caused Kadaj to move the slightest. When he was sure that his younger sibling was well enough not to scream out anymore, he stepped forward, matching the same standing position as Yazoo.

Cloud was unable to move, paralyzed from the intensity of the gunshot wound and fell forwards, slamming his body roughly into the ground. The taste of copper, the taste of his own blood, made itself know as he staggered, attempting to raise himself off the ground, and let out a small gasp of pain as his body screamed in protest when he pushed upwards.

Anger flowed deeply inside of him. His world was beginning to waver and he was becoming too self conscious about his wounds. Then he turned to what the eldest of the brothers seemed to be hiding and his pure mako eyes rested upon a very injured Kadaj, who struggling to stand up.

Loz looked uncertainly at Yazoo, knowing that their lives were about to end soon.

"Do it," the gun wielder snapped.

Yazoo recklessly tossed the Velvet Nightmare to the ground, only glancing at it briefly before turning to face Cloud, arm outstretched. Loz mimicked his actions, though hesitating quite a bit, and began to let out a low growling noise as Cloud dashed towards them after having retrieved one of his many swords from Fenrir, a look of pure hatred painted darkly upon his face.

The darkness, any of it that wasn't touched upon by moonlight, became illuminated as the two brothers arm's began to glow. The materia stood out like colored orbs in a dark room as the light around them grew stronger and stronger.

From his fallen position off to the side, Kadaj struggled more and more to get up. He had managed to prop himself up using his shoulder, despite the incredibly strong pain, and watched as Cloud neared his brothers. Then there was an awful light, the brightest he had ever seen, and it was coming right for him after it consumed Cloud, Loz, and Yazoo.

"Niisan!"

The light hit him and everything went black.


	8. Interrogating the helpless

Author's note: I have updated late! Eeeek! And it's a super short chapter too:Wails: I apologize for that but with holidays now here, I'm getting occupied with other things and I really didn't know if I was going to continue this story or not, but of course I am! Thanks for the reviews and here is another chapter of Abstract Silver!

* * *

**Abstract Silver**

**Interrogating the helpless

* * *

**

Silence.

It drowned out everything. Like a thick layer of fog, it cast itself around Kadaj's still form. His subconsciousness was a perfect picture of ultimate havoc, both demanding that he wake up and also warning him not to. But Kadaj felt oddly at peace, his body relaxed so much that it was unthinkable to open his eyes and face the harsh reality that was now his life.

But Kadaj was slowly slipping back into the world that he once had so organized and perfected to appeal to he needs, now a mess of problems, and was struggling to got back into the darkness. Not even his mother could reach him now. He was safe.

The silence had never felt any better than this...

As the silver haired rebel once again became surrounded with emptiness, a drastic change from his usual nightmares and dark thoughts, he realized that something was missing, something that would never make him complete without it.

Where was niisan?

He knew that Cloud could be nowhere close. Wouldn't he have at least felt his presence? What if he hadn't survived the blast? And what about Loz and Yazoo? Kadaj began to stir and light just as powerful as one that he had been so familiarized with at the labs crept painfully into his eyes. And with that light came a horrible pain, flowing through him just as quickly as his blood.

Kadaj heaved slightly upwards, eyes springing open in an instant. He was met with the same bland white objects that had been used to do experiments on him from his past, the same smell was suddenly noticeable as it was violently inhaled when Kadaj found himself in desperate need to breathe. His lungs burned as if they hadn't been working properly and his hair felt unnaturally dirty. It clung to his face like glue and made him feel disgusting.

Though he was in an awful state, Kadaj felt worse not knowing where Cloud was, and even if he was alive for that matter. He went to move, but the crippling pain in his body forced him to stay and he eventually gave in and laid his head back down on a white, flat pillow, just as white as the walls. The silver haired rebel sighed heavily and settled with searching for any possible escape routes.

He was very aware of the many wires and tubes that ran in and out of his body. Many were to monitor his healing process and the small tube that was attached to a hair width needle put a clear colored liquid into his body. There was another too, one Kadaj had never seen before, and it was slowly taking small amounts of his blood and putting it into a thin vial. There was a heart monitor right next his all white bed, making quiet humming noises from time to time. The room temperature was extremely cold, so cold that Kadaj could imagine frost appearing on the walls if it continued to stay this way.

This room was now where near as welcoming as the church had been with its small flowerbed and broken benches. No sunlight poured heavenly through the ceiling, but artificial light from huge lamps above his bed. He couldn't even see outside of the room, the doors was nearly invisible and would have been but the black door knob was a dead giveaway.

As Kadaj's slit jade eyes watched the door, muffled voices of two males coming from outside his room, the silver haired rebel planned his ambush. He would make it out of here and find Cloud, then they'd never return to this place. There was one problem however. When Kadaj tried to sit up, driving his pain away, he suddenly became aware of a thick leather strap digging into his forearms and another into his legs, just below his swollen knees.

He struggled to break free, watching as the silver buckles began to shift, but was interrupted when the door began to rattle and the black knob was turned to the left. In a few short moments, Kadaj was once again within the presence of the man he hated the most.

President Rufus Shinra, protected by a TURK on either side of him, the ones Kadaj remembered zapping into submission, took a step forward, cold eyes resting upon his trapped body. He waved each TURK off, signaling for the door where they stood, one on each side. It was then that Rufus gave Kadaj his undivided attention.

The man had obviously been cured of the Geostigma Kadaj knew he possessed. He sauntered forward, hands behind his back, a cruel smirk wrapped snugly upon his face. As he neared, the silver haired rebel could easily make out the scar that had been left behind and smirked upon remembering that the cold hearted Shachou had once been nothing but a feeble cripple.

Looks like the tables had turned.

"It seems that we've caught our little runaway, now doesn't it?" Rufus leaned closer, stray strands of hair covering the left side of his face, making both his eyes nearly invisible, but Kadaj could feel the frosty cruelty dripping off them like acid.

Kadaj's eyes shifted to rest upon Rufus, half lidded and had the appearance to make one feel that they were insignificant. He shifted his head upwards, just enough to steady his gaze with the older man, and let a half hearted smirk form on his pale lips.

"Shachou, you'll never completely hold me in your clutches, not in a million years."

"Well, we'll just have to-"

The smirk on the silver haired rebel's face fully bloomed when Rufus staggered away from the bed, wiping his face free of the ball of saliva Kadaj had spit out. It was disgusting and put him in an awful mood, not the best thing in the world. When he finished wiping all the saliva off his face using the white sleeve of his uniform, Rufus neared again, a full smirk of his own on his face.

Kadaj struggled as Rufus leaned closer, invading his personal space, and fell victim to the tight leather straps that held him firmly in place. He went to open his eyes but Rufus was right there, almost startling him. Almost.

"You see Kadaj, there are more experiments that need to be done..."

The silver haired rebel knew what was going to happen even before Rufus had another chance to speak. He refused to be thrown back into that world. No matter how many times the Shachou threatened his life, he wouldn't. He'd rather die than go through those experiences again.

Rufus pulled away, signaling something to Rude and Reno. The one with the sunglasses went for the door and opened it quickly, revealing two male doctors wearing attire identical to those who had injected Kadaj with so many substances that it was impossible to remember. With them they rolled in a stainless steel stand, which contained several medical tools.

Kadaj thrashed back and forth, blinding out the ever growing pain, and successfully managed to pull his arms free from under the straps. Rufus didn't seem to care, only motioning for the doctors to hurry in, then turned back towards the silver haired rebel, filling in the distance between them.

"Make any attempts to escape and Cloud dies."

Kadaj froze, his whole body going stiff, as the words slowly sunk into his brain. This caused Rufus to let out a small chuckle as he walked away, eyes glistening mischievously, and left the room without any more comments. That left him alone with complete strangers, doctors to make it worse.

But above all, his niisan was in trouble.

The stand was wheeled over to his bedside, so close that it was idiotic. One of the doctors, who had deep brown hair and brown eyes, reached towards Kadaj and tied a plastic material around his upper arm. As that was happening the other, who had curly red hair and blue eyes, reached into a small kit that had been set onto the a tray on top of the stainless steel stand and retrieved a clear vial.

A knock at the door stopped their progress, relieving Kadaj tremendously. It took everything in him to not lash out. When the doctors hadn't returned for over a whole minute, Kadaj looked around, then settled his eyes upon the tray beside him.

Using one of his free hands, the silver haired rebel reached outwards and curled his fingers around a pair of medical scissors. They shone brightly under the intense light, causing pain to swell up immensely in his eyes. But he spent no time worrying about himself and quickly went to work at freeing himself of the bothersome straps.

Much to his surprise, the straps had been nothing but fake leather, cutting easily under the twin sharp blades. The first one went slack quickly, allowing Kadaj to sit upright, though he did have some trouble, and begin his work on the second.

By the time that Kadaj had finished, the male voices had returned and the door began to rattle, keys fumbling to get into the lock. Quickly, Kadaj picked up the cut straps and placed them into a position where they gave the appearance that nothing had been done and laid back down, arms dangling loosely by his sides. But he then realized that he had forgotten something.

Grinding his eyes shut, Kadaj reached over to the tube going into his wrist and wrapped his hand around it. With one flick of his hand, Kadaj felt it being released, then went to rid himself of the other bothersome wires and tubes.

The doctors walked in shortly after, talking casually, and went back to the work they had left moments ago. Kadaj watched, waiting for the perfect moment to attack, then saw his opening when they both had their backs turned to him.

Silently, with practiced speed, Kadaj placed his right fist into his left hand just as one of the doctors turned around and brought his elbow up, striking the brown haired one directly in the nose. As he staggered backwards, the other whirled around, only to be met with a knee to the face as Kadaj pushed himself off the bed.

Bleeding from his wound, the brown haired doctor pulled out a stun gun and charged toward Kadaj, who had his fists out, ready to battle.

Faking an attack with his fists, the silver haired rebel kicked high into the air, landing another blow to the doctor, but this time to the head. As he landed gracefully, Kadaj spun around just as the second doctor took a swing at him with the exact same pair of scissors that the young captive had used to free himself.

Kadaj quickly ducked, causing the doctor to miss his target and stumble forward. The silver haired rebel lashed out, using the heel of his foot to strike him in the back, then bent down, picking up the pair of fallen scissors.

"Give me the key," Kadaj demanded, walking closer to the now cowering man, purposely making the scissors glisten in the artificial light. "Or," he cocked his head to the side, grimacing inside as he bunched up the infected skin on his neck, "I could always kill you."

"Here! Take them! Take them!"

Kadaj reached for the ring of keys that were being handed to him. However, he noticed something the man had obviously not wanted him to. When he wrapped his hands around the keys, the doctor struck out with his fist, attempting to wind him, but Kadaj easily caught his fist.

"Surely you don't think I'm that foolish?"

Faster than the man could handle, Kadaj brought the scissors down and struck him squarely in the stomach, smirking at his handy work. But he still had another doctor to deal with, who was now leaned heavily against the white wall, breathing heavily, a small trail of blood making its way down his face.

Kadaj advanced forward, closing the distance between the man and himself. Though he was indeed weaponless at the moment, he had been trained in all kinds of combat and these skills would be put to the test yet again.

Without any words spoken, Kadaj dashed forward, just as the doctor quickly bent down and retrieved his stun gun, bringing it up at the exact moment that the silver haired rebel struck him with a devastating kick. The gun did no harm, having fallen to the ground since Kadaj's intended target had been his hand all along. He had already predicted the doctor's moves. This was going to be easy.

But Kadaj had no time to spare, figuring that some means of security had already been called upon due to all the commotion they were making. So, cutting his time in the room short, Kadaj roughly grasped onto the doctor and threw him into the tray of sharp objects, where he was impaled, but not as effectively as had Kadaj hoped for.

Wasting no time, the silver haired rebel thrust the keys into the lock under the black doorknob and smirked when he found out that he had chosen the right one. He was going to toss them, but decided to keep them, just in case Rufus had Cloud trapped in a room identical to the one he had been in.

As Kadaj stumbled into the thankfully empty hallway, he realized exactly where he was. the Healin Lodge. He was in a place he was quite familiarized. This was going to work out for him after all. But what about his niisan?

Making his way down the hallway, tiled floor under his feet, Kadaj stared ahead. He had no idea where Cloud was and didn't know where to start.

In the empty hall of the Healin Lodge, Kadaj had never felt so alone.


	9. The fateful stand

Author's note: Wow! Thanks everybody for the reviews! Almost at fifty! . This chapter was supposed to be super short, but I guess things turned out a little different than I thought. There's a 'nice' little surprise in this chapter so I hope you have fun! Once again, keep on reading and keep on reviewing!

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**Abstract Silver**

**The fateful stand

* * *

**

There was a numbing sensation as his body shifted ever so slightly from its still position. He hadn't felt any pain at all since the blast of abnormal white light, but he wasn't fully awake. And he knew that when his eyes would move back and forth and the smell and comfort of his surroundings would form into a harsh reality, the pain was going to be there. It wasn't something to look forward to.

But before he knew it, a dim light was already working its way into his sleep ridden eyes, scorching them from the simple intensity that they brought along. Then, as he feared, the first spasms of pain came flooding in, just as powerful as any storm.

Cloud moved his head to the side, feeling the great pain grab onto his whole being while it seemed to drain him of any strength he possessed. He became all too aware of the smell that hung like thick smog in the room, scrunching his nose up in distaste. Then, like a gentle whisper, the slow and rhythm-like sounds of the machine beside his bed drifted into his ears, becoming louder and louder with every passing second as he drifted back awake.

His piercing mako eyes got their first real look at the room he was currently held in and didn't even have to ask to know where he was. This, of course, wasn't that big of a problem, he knew his way around here pretty well, but Cloud could sense the danger he was now in. He didn't like it and wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible.

Cloud ignored the pain that swelled up, inside of his chest, pushing himself upwards and off the bed to get a better look around and see of how much use his surroundings would be if he got into a sticky situation. But, as the blond soon discovered, there was nothing but bland white walls and a chair to his right, which was being occupied by the looks of it.

"Hey there sleepy head," a calm and gentle voice drifted over to Cloud, surprising him temporarily.

Tifa closed the old magazine she was reading and set it down lightly onto the chair she had been sitting in only moments ago and stood, brushing her outfit and ridding it of any dust that could have settled, though there was no sign of any. She gave Cloud a light hearted smile and drew closer to his bed, honest eyes boring into his own.

"We found you and that boy just a little bit outside of Midgar. I was worried you wouldn't survive."

Lowering his head, Cloud placed it into an open hand and clenched his eyes shut protectively. He turned, so that Tifa was looking at a mass of broken gold spikes on the back of his head, and let his mind race, but only for an instant, as he frantically tried to remember the events that had occurred nearly a day or two ago. Cloud could not recall any of it.

But Kadaj, the silver haired rebel, would not survive on his own, especially in an extremely weakened state such as the one Cloud was in now. Kadaj would probably be a hand full to look after, hard to restrain and talk to. Smart, yes, but with the many scientists Cloud knew worked here, Kadaj would only find himself imprisoned, maybe even at this moment. He had to rescue Kadaj.

Tifa reached forward and turned Cloud's head so that he was facing her and gave his hand, the one left to hang limply at his side, a reassuring squeeze.

"Don't worry Cloud, we'll get you out of here soon."

Cloud gave a small nod and laid back down, resting his already tiring back into the surprisingly comfortable mattress, finding a suitable spot and closing his eyes briefly. There were so many things running through his mind now. He just wanted to forget about them all, but Kadaj would not be forgotten.

The boy could be anywhere by now. He only hoped that Kadaj had managed to escape or run away before his friend had arrived. But, if what Tifa was saying was true, than Kadaj hadn't left and his whereabouts remained a mystery. However, his childhood friend could dish out some information. She'd know where Kadaj went.

Tifa rested the palm of her hand over his forehead and withdrew it immediately, reaching for something beside the bed. Once she found it she spoke in an urgent voice, "Are you alright C-" But Cloud cut her off.

"Where is he?"

Instead of finishing her search, Tifa let out a small sigh and settled back into the brown leather chair behind her, long, dark locks of hair covering her face. She seemed to think about it for a moment, understanding fully that Cloud wanted an honest answer, whether it be good or bad. But she was still confused about everything. Deeply confused.

"Rufus took him and-"

"Why? Why did you let him do that? Do you know where he is?" Cloud's tone of voice became almost abnormally harsh and demanding, something Tifa has never grown accustomed to, as he sat up again, watching her with his livid eyes. "You do know where he is, don't you?"

"Cloud," Tifa raised her head, matching the blond's gaze with an equally determined one of her own. "He's too dangerous. What if he kidnaps the children again?"

"He won't..."

"But I really don't think that things will get much better with him around. Cloud, he's the one who put that awful spell over Denzel!" Tifa's voice was sharp like a razor, and there was pain as well. Cloud hated it when she sounded so hurt, but things didn't have to be that way. People change, sometimes for the best, that's what he was hoping to do with Kadaj. "Don't you care?"

"Yes, but..." He did care, he really did. Cloud moved his head to the side slowly, averting his eyes from Tifa and looking blandly at the white bedsheets underneath him. Then he looked back, changing the subject. "Where is he?"

"Cloud, I really don't know. What is it with you and this guy anyways?" There. She had it out in the open. Her friend wouldn't be able to move around it. She wanted the truth.

"There's this connection between us, not from our link with Jenova, but something else."

"Don't trust him too much, okay Cloud?" Tifa warned in a gentle tone, trying hard not to provoke any more disagreements between them, but it wasn't working exactly as she hoped it would.

"You don't understand..."

"I do Cloud, but-"

"No," Cloud raised his head, eyes shinning brightly from the iridescent lights above. He furrowed his eyebrows, turning his facial expression cold and distant, just as it had been before everything else. "You don't."

* * *

Another room passed, occupied just as the last one or two had been, but his niisan was not in either one. Nor was he in any of them. This was becoming quite tiring and Kadaj was slowly losing his patience, his ability to walk as well. The pain was slowly coming back.

He often checked for any unwanted people, namely Rufus and his goons, as he sauntered around the hallways, now desperate to find Cloud. Yet he hadn't the slightest clue where he was, but one thing was for sure, his niisan was an awfully far distance away from where he was now. And by the looks of it, Cloud wasn't even in this wing.

So, deciding that he better quicken his pace, lest he be caught by any of the workers who should have discovered his absence, Kadaj turned down another dimly lit hallway and trailed after the seemingly never ending mass of doors, all of which were the exact same color as his.

His breathing now forced and ragged, Kadaj pushed himself forwards until he came upon a half opened door, one with a few cheap looking chairs outside of it, and stopped. He rested his continuously paling face against the white frame, peering in for a few seconds.

There was someone sitting in a chair, looking distraught and rather hurt. Upon further notice, Kadaj realized that he recognized that women, who was the exact same one that had been at the bar Cloud had taken him to. Then, as the silver haired rebel opened the door a bit further, he stopped in his tracks as his niisan's voice echoed blissfully in his tired ears.

"There's this connection between us, not from our link with Jenova, but something else."

"Don't trust him too much, okay Cloud?"

"You don't understand..."

Kadaj withdrew, blocking out the last few words of their conversation. Did his niisan actually trust him? He had never learned anything about trust during his training, except that he was never aloud to trust anyone at all. But what would he do now?

As Cloud's voice stopped almost too suddenly, Kadaj caught a glimpse of something moving out of the corner of his eye. Turning, he immediately recognized them to be the two body guards that Rufus constantly had beside him and felt trapped.

And just like a pinned animal on the brink of being dinner for that of bigger size, Kadaj was just as dangerous and felt his muscles bunch up as he prepared to make a run for it. However, Cloud was still inside and they had to get out of here _now_. So, without thinking things through as he had been taught, Kadaj kicked open the door with a little amount of effort and stumbled upon the pain filled body of Cloud as he rested in a cramped position.

The blond and his friend immediately turned in his direction, both wearing the same mask of surprise. Cloud began struggling to free himself from the major jumble of wires and tubes, always checking back for what seemed every second to reassure himself that Kadaj was not a fake. Tifa, now standing at her full height, watched as the silver hair rebel bounded over to Cloud, looking like he had gone to hell and back.

As Kadaj finished helping Cloud, the last tube, which injected the blond with a liquid Kadaj had never been too familiar with, the door burst open and there stood Rude and Reno, the well built one keeping a stoic face while his red headed partner smirked at the frantic looking teen.

"Hey Cloud," Reno spoke up, pointing towards Kadaj. "'Been looking for your little buddy here for quite some time now."

The blond rose slowly from the white clad bed, flexing his sore wrists and relishing the open feeling he now had. Tifa sat back down with another sigh, hoping that the two newcomers would be able to talk some sense into her friend. But things were definitely not going her way lately, and she realized that when Cloud took a step in front of Kadaj.

"What is it that you want with him?" He asked, suspicious of them now, even after both Rude and Reno had helped out while he fought non stop with the other silver haired men.

"Shachou's orders."

"Well I'm going against his orders." Cloud turned around and motioned to Kadaj. "Come on, we're leaving."

Rude stepped into the middle of the doorway, blocking their escape. Reno only chuckled before nearing Cloud, the shades on top of his head sending a blinding reflection from the lights into Cloud's hurting mako eyes.

"Cloud, he'll end up turning on you." Reno spoke truthfully, talking with his arms as well, moving when each word escaped his lips. "Once he gets what he wants, he'll be gone for good."

From his position in the doorway, Rude brought his brows close together, tightening around the rims of his shaded sunglasses. His partner always managed to say the wrong things, no matter what situation they were stuck in. That man's mouth was going to be the end of him someday.

There was a brief silence. Cloud lowered his head, as if the thought had never come to mind. After all, Kadaj was a merciless fighter who was both smart and cunning, especially when the means of battle came into play. The silver haired rebel himself let his gaze fall to the floor, silvery locks blocking all from seeing what emotions, if there were any, that flashed across his face. He looked back up at Cloud, after coming to a decision, and sat roughly down into the white mattress.

"No..." Kadaj broke the silence, his tone wavering between unsure and with a hint of depression in it as well. "No, I won't."

Everyone inhabiting the room seemed to freeze, as if Kadaj's statement had been the strangest thing in the world. Tifa shifted uneasily in her chair, deep eyes constantly moving back and forth between the two men before her. Reno looked rather disappointed, while Rude's expression remained the same. Cloud on the other hand, was shocked the most.

He really hadn't expected that. Hell, it was the last thing he ever thought would come out of the silver haired rebel's mouth. But it meant something, yet he had no idea what it was. Unfamiliar with such a feeling as that.

"We are still unable to let you go."

All eyes turned to Rude, another surprise in the last minute or two. He stayed calm, hidden eyes keeping focus on Cloud and Kadaj, watching for any movements that would indicate an attempt to escape.

Kadaj kept his head downcast, balling his fists up tightly. Now both leather gloves had been removed, leaving his bare hands for all to see. There was a growing sensation building up, cold as mountain water itself. He knew what it was and he planned on using it to his advantage.

There was still some power left from the materia.

Rude didn't have enough time to spot the blue ball of lightning fast energy come rushing towards him. However, he managed to dodge out of the way, landing in the hallway as pieces of wood and plaster littered the ground around him.

Kadaj pulled on Cloud, pushing past Reno with reborn arrogance. They picked up the pace they were traveling at, both having some difficulties as the pain boiled inside each of their tired and battle worn bodies.

Taking all the right turns and finally seeing the long desired light of the outside world, Kadaj shut his eyes momentarily, dashing headlong towards the door which promised them freedom. Cloud hurried as well, letting out a sigh as if he had been holding his breath when the cool afternoon air swept calmly and gently over their bruised and battered skin.

Suddenly, three shots were fired, all of which had been headed into the direction of the two runaways. Cloud grabbed onto the arm Kadaj was using to hold him and pulled them downwards. Had it not been for his quick reflexes, Kadaj would have taken all of the bullets, each one aimed for vital spots.

A small cloud of dust polluted the air as it danced in the slight breeze. Cloud and Kadaj stood up, breaking the hold they had on one another and they both turned to the direction of the shots, coming upon no other than Rufus Shinra himself; a gun aimed only at Kadaj alone.

"Hand over Kadaj," he demanded in a clam voice, cold eyes never leaving the silver haired rebel. "We aren't through with him yet."

"Never!" Kadaj screamed, jade eyes glowing fiercely.

Cloud watched in muted dread as Rufus slowly applied pressure onto the black trigger, sending panic waves through his mind. As time seemed to stop altogether, Cloud once again grabbed a hold of Kadaj, but this time he made a run for it, hoping that the rebel could keep up with the sudden jerk out of his harsh reality and the speed of which Cloud was now running at.

Rufus was close behind, often firing a few rounds at Kadaj. The silver haired rebel was having a hard time catching up with the older man, heaving violently as his lungs wheezed in pain. His legs were incredibly sore, bruised in several spots as well. But his will to live was stronger than anything and that alone was enough fuel to keep his body moving.

Hoping that they were finally free of Rufus and his deadly aim, Kadaj spared a quick glance at Cloud as he continued to pull on his arm with little applied force, but stopped when the grip went slack and his niisan halted abruptly, sending Kadaj straight into his back.

"Why have we stopped?"

Kadaj peered over Cloud's shoulder, eyes widening ever so slightly as he came upon the only reason why the blond would do such a thing, especially when danger was close by.

Right in front of them the land dropped off and only mere centimeters away from the tips of Cloud's boots was the end of the powder-like dirt. It was a cliff they were standing on and it wouldn't be a very nice fall if they were to jump.

In other words, they were trapped.

Frantic, Kadaj stepped beside Cloud and looked angrily down, trying to see if there were any ledges that they could hide on. Finding none, the silver haired rebel spun around to see if Rufus was anywhere near by.

_Splat._

Kadaj grasped his chest as two bullets entered his pale flesh. Blood smeared across his face, stunning him as the smell of copper filled his nostrils. He looked down, then up, watching as Rufus neared, a cold smirk painted delicately onto his face.

Cloud quickly turned around, small droplets of Kadaj's blood speckling his cheek. He watched in frozen horror, unable to move or react, as Kadaj stumbled backwards, his feet losing their grip on the ground and slipping off the edge.

He tried to reach for his fellow runaway, but Kadaj was already out of reach, plummeting towards the ground far, far below.


	10. Crimson

Author's note: Back with another chapter of Abstract Silver! So I left a nasty ending to the last one, mostly on Kadaj's part, but the story only continues. However, the next update (whenever that'll be) will possibly be late. Let me explain myself here. There are these horrible final exams coming up, which I must study for, so I will not have the time to write anything, unless I decide to. But I WILL update when there is time, so please hang tight for now. Also, I just have to give a huge thanks to my reviews and readers, because you're the bestest and free cookies for all! (I'm in a giving mood)

* * *

**Abstract Silver**

**Crimson

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**

His body felt like a wild fire. Massive burning rippled through him in a torrent of pain as his body was pushed forcefully towards the ground from unwanted gravity as he stared in horror as what had once been unseen before, turned into massive rocks. They were like pin needles, and he the pathetic bug that was about to be impaled, then hung like a trophy in someone's sick collection.

The tails of his leather coat flapped loudly in his ears as the wind being created by the speed he was falling at brushed the his silvery and unnaturally dirty hair way from his eyes, a blissful feeling, yet it could not drown out the pain and shock he still suffered.

He had only been shot once before, by the same man too, but it pierced through his hand; nothing compared to this. The two bullets must have hit something vital, his lung he feared, for it caused excruciating pain when he tried to breath. No cut from a blade could do such damage. And Kadaj had been hit several times in the stomach, more than often the deadly weapon striking something it shouldn't have.

_Thump._

Kadaj instantly became paralyzed. The pain was crippling now and he was sure that besides two bullet holes in his chest, he now had a few broken ribs. Several in fact. He had landed on his side, both sharp and dull rocks bruising his pale flesh underneath black leather. If he ever lived to see the wounds, Kadaj was sure that he'd be black and blue by the time this was all over.

He tried to open his eyes, but was unable. Keeping them clenched tightly to relieve some of the pain, Kadaj focused on trying to hear if his niisan was near by, but the irritating whistling noise the wind was creating blocked anything out as it grew stronger and stronger, giving the silver haired rebel a headache to add to everything else.

As he lay in the most evolved form of discomfort, Kadaj let his mind run, unable to stop it. And as thoughts flowed freely about, one thing came to mind. The height he had fallen from and how short of a time it had taken him to reach the bottom. But it was clearly impossible to have fallen that far and end up where ever he was now.

He hadn't reached the bottom after all. There was a chance at getting out of this.

To confirm his discovery, Kadaj willed anything, any will power or raw strength alone, to pry his eyes open so he could see where he was. It seemed like there was something and with a great struggle, Kadaj was able to open his, though they were only mere slits at first as his piercing jade eyes were granted the luxury to see again.

The first thing he noticed was that there were several other stone shelves above him, quite possible the same kind that he had landed on. Kadaj was in too much pain to look over the edge... wait. There was a ledge, a meter or so away from his limp arm. So his thoughts had been right. But he couldn't go anywhere and the silver haired rebel feared that if he tried to get down or climb up, he'd probably end up at the bottom, lifeless, but more so than how he felt now.

The wind howled loudly for one last time, then died down completely as if the beast itself had been tamed within seconds. That allowed Kadaj to hear as well, returning him of yet another sense. And with the calmness that settled down, deafening and horrid, he began to make out the voices of people above, his niisan and the President of Shinra without a doubt.

The distant voice had a calming effect over him, drowning out the pain and pushing it into hiding as his body began to heal. Shadows of unconsciousness began to appear on the edges of his mind, demanding that now was his time to rest. However, that could not be done as a bitter, angry voice cut through it all, the same one who had thankfully put him in this state in the first place.

Though he could not hear everything, being too far down and the like, Kadaj could feel the anger and winced at it, closing his eyes once more. In no time the tone of his niisan grew worse before small crumbling noises could be heard. Only seconds later, Kadaj felt small particles of dust and pebbles litter his face, now laced with cold sweat and so hot to the touch that one would think he was made out of molten lava.

Opening his eyes slowly once more, the silver haired rebel saw two crystal clear blue eyes starring down at him before they disappeared. Kadaj thought that Cloud may have mistaken him for dead, and wished to not die on a empty ledge, minus himself of course, with nothing but a cold hearted man who used fear to gain what he wanted.

His niisan appeared again, then vanished from his sight again, but this time it was different. From down below, Kadaj fully opened his eyes, searching frantically around for the blond man, and would have jumped if he wasn't in so much pain when a quick breeze stole the air from his lungs and a pair of black boots appeared by his head.

Immediately Cloud bent down, careful not to injure Kadaj as his knees brushed lightly against the silver haired rebel's heaving stomach. He was met with confused jade eyes, clouded over with pain and extremely watery. The expression on his face looked as if he felt very frightened, shy of death and feeling vulnerable. So, quickly reaching towards Kadaj's head, Cloud held him gently in his arms, letting the younger man know that he wasn't entirely alone, no matter how many crimes or bad deeds he may have done in the past or how he felt at the moment. He wasn't going to be alone ever again.

Rocks and dirt, dust and pebbles rained down upon them as Rufus peered over the edge, gun pointed towards the two weary figures below. He took careful aim at Kadaj with practiced hold on his weapon, closing the eye he refused to use and narrowed the open one slightly, finger raising to the trigger slowly, as if he was playing with them.

Cloud lowered himself so that his face was a few inches from Kadaj's and whispered lightly, pretending to check his heart beat as his did so, "Fake your own death." His words barely reached Kadaj, but once the youth realized what was to be done, he threw himself upwards like he was breathing the last breaths of fresh air he'd ever receive.

Cloud moved back a few centimeters, completely stunned that Kadaj even had enough strength to do that. When the younger man placed his extremely cold and pale hands onto Cloud's shoulder, the blond breathed in sharply, then glared over Kadaj's shoulder to meet eyes with Rufus.

"Niisan," the silver haired rebel rasped out, "I can't... can't..."

Kadaj went limp and slumped forwards into Cloud, his breathing uneven and rather forced. The blond looked up, giving Rufus a venomous glare. He waited patiently as the President seemed to think to himself, then gave Cloud and Kadaj the freedom they desired. Only one thing wasn't right.

Kadaj hadn't gotten up yet, even after Cloud nudged him a couple times.

The boy really did an excellent job faking it, even though it seemed _too_ real. So Cloud tried again, this time pulling him lightly upwards, only to find that his head rolled back and forth and that the only response he got was a pain stricken moan.

"Damn it..."

Cloud released Kadaj, lying him back on the ground after he completely made sure that there weren't any sharp rocks that would damage the almost lifeless body he had been clutching onto moments before. Glancing backwards, Cloud got a better look of the ground below, his stomach churning at how deadly the rocks looked and how far away the actual surface was from their ledge.

He couldn't possibly take Kadaj down with him, especially since he planned on jumping off the ledge. Just how he was going to land was beyond him, but to injure the silver haired rebel further was reckless and unnecessary. But there was also no other way down and he couldn't very well jump up, since the cliff they had both been standing on before curved over their heads, only allowing them to barely see over it from below and making it impossible to neatly jump to unless Cloud planned on breaking through the solid rock.

Thinking carefully and weighing the possibilities of being injured further, Cloud came to a hasty decision that their only way out of this mess was for him to jump down from the ledge and hope and pray, then hope some more that he'd at least land with some grace. Not only would it be a huge risk, but it would also allow him to take Kadaj to a hospital or somewhere that supplied medical help.

So, glancing upwards to assure that Rufus was no longer hanging around, Cloud fought a an inner battle with his extremely tired body and won. He bent down, quickly wrapping his arms around Kadaj's frail body, careful not to damage his badly bruised body and looked down for the longest time, reminding himself that he had never paid any attention to the laws of gravity or how high the distance was from the ground to himself. It was time to put those actions to good use.

Feeling his sore muscles bunch up in his legs, Cloud lowered himself to the dust covered ledge momentarily, then used his spring-loaded strength to pivot upwards, wind forcing his battered hair backwards as he soared through the air, further away from the cliff. In no time they were plummeting towards the ground and as they did so, Cloud could only imagine what Kadaj must have thought when he fell over the edge. But he also didn't have two bullet holes in his chest.

Quickly the jagged rocks came clearly into view, glistening dangerously in wait. However, Cloud managed to miss them by a whole ten feet and landed somewhat neatly on the solid ground below. As he did so, Kadaj was ripped from his grip as his body gave out under everything it had been through, leaving him with that hated feeling of weakness.

He landed roughly on the ground, unable to anything but watch as Kadaj landed a few feet away from him, dust clinging to his sweat ridden forehead, giving the silver haired rebel the look of one wearing a mud mask. Cloud noted that he was still breathing, but just enough to confirm that he was still alive, though it wasn't by much.

The wind picked up, whistling dryly in his sore ears. It was completely barren out here, nothing but dust and rocks. They were like bright red, neon flashing signs in the dark of the night being where they were. Fiends of all shapes and sizes were bound to show up, smelling their weakness and the blood that now stained the ground around Kadaj as it transferred itself from his leather clothing onto the dry ground underneath.

There was little Cloud could do. In fact, there was absolutely nothing. As seconds turned into minutes and those long minutes turning into an hour, it was incredibly hard for Cloud to hold onto his consciousness, to stay awake, to make sure that Kadaj was still alive. But it was impossible now, and as his mako eyes kissed the barren land good-bye, Cloud caught a glimpse of something crimson close by, unsure if it was his eyes were playing games or his body was giving up.

Not a game nor mis-functioning of his body, but a ever growing blur of something quite familiar. It neared at such a fast speed that Cloud failed to noticed that it now hovered noisily above, the constant sound of fabric swaying in the wind filled his ears as it drowned out the powerful howls of the wind. And with that noise, Cloud lost all consciousness and merged with the darkness. He reached out for Kadaj before his pale face kissed the ground below.

* * *

Hushed voices echoed inside of his throbbing head, only causing it to pulse further. He wouldn't dare of opening his eyes, he didn't want to see the horrible place he must have been in now. Perhaps he was in the Underworld or, maybe, a part of the Lifestream. Either one wasn't idealistic for him at the moment, so he remained still.

The room was dark, no doubt about it. This place felt comforting and somewhat familiar. Cloud didn't know why, but he suddenly felt the urge to wake up, to see where Kadaj was.

Had they made it?

His vision was blurred at first, a jolt of pain from his head causing him to blink several times. Once it had vanished into nothingness, Cloud was able to see the world that lay beyond, half expecting fiends be dancing around and buildings ablaze. However, things weren't like that at all.

He was in his room, back at Seventh Heaven.

The voices stopped, which were coming from the doorway, only made visible as the light from the hallway created a golden-like outline of it. There was no lighting, but at the moment that was a very good thing. Cloud thanked whatever miracle had saved him and struggled to sit upright and was immediately accompanied by two helping hands.

Cloud turned to the side and a lamp was turned on, piercing his mako eyes with blistering light. He drew back, almost falling sideways, but stopped himself once he found that he had regained some form of balance.

"You had us all worried!"

Tifa looked over Cloud, making sure that he was well enough to be up and rested the palm of her hand on his forehead, withdrawing it immediately.

"Cloud, you're burning up. You shouldn't be awake quite yet."

"H-how did I get here?" The blond rubbed the back of his head, flinching at how high his body temperature really was. "I can't possibly be alive..."

"Vincent helped out." Tifa pointed towards the shadowed figure near the doorway, his tattered, crimson cape standing out among the cracked walls of Cloud's room. "He's been watching you two for some time now. We were just trying to be careful, I promise."

"Kadaj?"

Cloud startled the strong willed woman beside him while suddenly moving out of his bed and standing in a rather sloppy fashion. He searched everywhere, now despising the darkness that still lingered in the small space. He couldn't see anything, but noticed that the pile of various amounts of trash had been removed from one corner.

It was there that he found Kadaj, laying on a spare mattress.

From what light was given, Cloud could see that he wasn't looking the best. His once other worldly hair looked frayed, dirty, and completely ruined. His breathing was heavy and forced, long pauses interfering between each breath. He was partially covered with both wool and cotton blankets, trying to keep him warm while he body remained at a deathly cold temperature; the complete opposite of Cloud's.

He tried to move towards Kadaj, but Tifa gently forced him to lay back down. Vincent then stepped forward, crimson eyes locking with pure mako ones as the light battled with the darkness of the room. The silent man remained where he was, at the end of the bed, then ushered a few words, most of which Cloud could barely make out since Vincent used his usual tone of voice.

But the blond had a few things of his own to say, most regarding the welfare of Kadaj. He knew well enough that Vincent would have some information and that his friend would let him know.

"Is he-"

"The body of thoughts," Vincent cut Cloud off, "may be powerful, but not many can withstand two gunshot wounds to the chest, least they be immortal or powered by some great force."

Cloud furrowed his brows in troubled thought. He glanced towards Kadaj, then back to Vincent as the older man spoke dreadfully calm words.

"He might not make it."


	11. Ballad of a lost soul

Author note: Well I've decided to be a bad person and sneak in one last chapter as exams threaten to close in on me and suck out all my knowledge, replacing it with major stress. And since writing is excellent for getting rid of it, here I am, blessing you with another update! WHOO! Oh, but before I go, allow me to give a _huge_ thanks for the reviews. I'm just dumbfounded at how many I've received so far, and how wonderful they are! And so I completely dedicate each and every word of this chapter in the name of my reviewers and my readers! Alas, the chapter begins...

* * *

**Abstract Silver**

**Ballad of a lost soul

* * *

**

Lost.

He felt lost. The sudden change in emotion twisted at his heart and mind, shattering any hope that had built up over the days. It was now forever lost. Completely severed from him and along with it went his ambition to pull through all of this.

Strange, really. He hadn't known Kadaj for all that long, but there was a deep connection between them that was like nothing he had felt before. And even the distant fighter himself didn't know the reasons behind this, yet he followed what his heart felt, what that deep feeling inside wanted. And now he was faced with a hard situation where the once arrogant rebel now faced nothing but death itself. He didn't like the concept, nor did he wish for any of this to happen. He wanted out and he wanted all of the pain and suffering to stop.

Yet he knew that it would never happen.

As Vincent's words rang in his ears like the horror they were, Cloud could do nothing. Not even rest his eyes upon the younger man. He was frozen in an eternity of shock, lost to the world and trying desperately to find a way out. But there would never be a way out of this false reality if Kadaj were to up and die on him.

The darkness which still lingered within the small room became all too intense for Cloud to avoid. It called out to him in hushed, silent tones, whispering his name and calmly ordering him to fall into a world of peace and rest. But he couldn't. He had to find a cure, some medication, anything to give Kadaj another chance at life.

He was too young to die.

And so Cloud fought back. Pushing all the darkness away from both his vision, mind, and heart, the once again determined blond forced his screaming body to the side. It was as if he had broken an invisible barrier. All the strength he had once had came flooding back in such a rush that it made him light headed, causing white blotches to appear in his line of vision. They soon passed and Cloud was granted all the freedom he wanted. Except for one thing.

He glanced down, towards Tifa's clenched hand as she grasped tightly onto the dark fabric of his clothing, not about to let go any time soon. Cloud didn't even have to make eye contact with her to know that she was upset, but more so worried that he was trying to move and run away like he had done several times before. But this time it was different. He wasn't running away from the harsh truth of his existence, nor to hide the hideous deformation that the Geostigma had induced onto his body. It was to save the life of another.

"Cloud please-"

"I'm not going away forever," he assured her, "I need to find something that'll heal Kadaj. There's got to be some place or something that can help."

Hesitating, Tifa released her grip. Her arm fell lifelessly to her side, a rather dejected looked etched clearly upon her face. She then stepped away from the bed, arms crossed over her chest with a large amount of hair covering her face. She checked on Cloud once before going to stand beside Vincent.

The blond stood up, his legs shaking temporarily as he struggled to maintain his balance. After all, Cloud hadn't been up and about for quite some time, two days or more he figured. When he regained his usual posture, the blond took his first step towards Kadaj, wobbling from side to side when his legs buckled slightly.

The floor felt cold under his now bare feet. The bottoms of them were moist and only caused more problems as he slowly made his way over to Kadaj. Another thing he noticed was that the rather large glove on his hand was nowhere to be seen so he assumed that Tifa had taken it off and placed it somewhere. But Cloud paid no mind, instead he moved closer, eyes blurring and legs beginning to shake involuntarily.

At last he managed to reach the mattress that Kadaj rested upon, resting heavily against the cold stone wall beside him to keep his balance as his legs threatened to give out again. Another light was turned on, a small lamp that Tifa held tightly in her hands, pointed towards him to offer him some light so he could see what he was doing.

"Thanks," he murmured.

Looking downwards, Cloud got his first up close look at Kadaj. His pale face was drenched in cold sweat and his hair clung like glue to his delicate skin. Small droplets of the salty liquid rolled down his cheek, glistening in the light of the lamp. They passed his deathly pale lips, going down the length of his neck and soaking the collar of his leather outfit. His breathing was slow, irregular, and terrifying to even watch as Kadaj's lungs were clearly struggling for air.

Cloud pushed himself away from the wall, bending down to the mattress. He pulled some of the covers off of the fever stricken body before him so that Kadaj's shoulders were visible. He then gently unzipped the front of the rough leather, allowing Kadaj to breath much better since the fabric clung so tightly to his skin, all thanks to the fever and the icy sweat that continuously dripped from the top of his forehead. Something stuck out though, even in the dim light.

The Geostigma looked as if it had spread like a wildfire. Snaking up the side of the silver haired rebel's neck and all over his shoulder, probably his back as well; the sickness looked horrible. The dark color only proved how strong it was and how hard Kadaj had to fight to avoid any amount of pain at all. But Kadaj looked like he was about to give up and Cloud wanted to make sure that it wasn't going to happen.

Standing back up, Cloud inhaled deeply, feeling a sensational burn as his lungs released the air he had taken in. He was quite aware that he was being watched by his two friends, but he didn't care at the moment. He glanced down at Kadaj once more and began to walk again, surprised that his legs hadn't opposed to him doing so yet. In a short amount of time, Cloud found himself back at the bed, searching for his discarded socks and black leather boots.

A shuffling noise could be heard from behind him as Tifa rummaged through a pile of clothing that was stashed in the farthest corner of the room. She made a triumphant noise, then hurried over to Cloud, offering him a pair of boots he had once thought lost and forever gone. He had blamed it on some supernatural force, but apparently it was his own doing. Recklessly throwing things to the side had become such a habit that he constantly did it. Though things had most definitely changed since then.

"Here Cloud, take these." Tifa offered him the once thought missing boots, a unforced smile gracing her lips. She also offered to help him get them on, but Cloud objected and gave his thanks before going through a great struggle to get them on.

From the closed doorway, Vincent watched, crimson eyes taking in everything with precise accuracy. However, his attention was mostly on Kadaj. He could easily tell that they boy wouldn't last long in that condition. In fact, his time in the world of the living was becoming quite limited. A week or so and he would be nothing but a whisper in the wind.

"It won't be long," Vincent interrupted, his voice overflowing with calmness. "Until the body of thoughts is only a blur in our memories." He watched as Cloud turned towards him, his facial expression turning drastically and his color paling even further. But Vincent continued anyways. "There is little hope that he'll survive."

With his boots now on completely, Cloud cast his eyes downwards, flattened blond hair covering most of his pain ridden face.

"I'll stop that. I'll find a way to save him..."

Before Vincent or Tifa could do anything, Cloud walked in a tight, straight manner towards the door. The ageless man with deep crimson eyes moved to the side, allowing his upset friend to pass. He was then met with a questioning stare from Tifa as the door closed lightly with a _click._

"Why Vincent? He's not well enough."

"I understand. But Cloud must pull through this on his own. Let him do as he pleases, I believe it is the right thing."

Tifa shook her head slightly. She believed in Cloud too, but her friend was really pushing past any limits that he may have. So, trying to push the worry from her mind, though finding it impossible, she walked over to Kadaj and stared blankly at his heaving body as he slept in a world of horror an pain.

She had never been this close to someone such as Kadaj. He had been the one to kidnap both Marlene and Denzel, a horrible thing that she would never forget as long as she lived. Yet as the young man in front of her tossed and turned restlessly, Tifa's judgment wavered. He looked completely helpless as he was; like a child. But she barely knew him and she had been betrayed before, seen things her sleep was plagued with, and moved away.

Looking at Cloud's desk, eyes resting upon a photograph that had been taken a while ago, she whispered, "What's going to happen now?" So quietly that the only one able to hear it was the severely injured rebel in front of her.

* * *

It was completely empty in here.

Cloud closed the wooden church doors with some amount of force, having not acquired all of his strength yet, and slumped against them when he had shut out the darkness that loomed about outside like thick smog. But inside, it was just the same. In fact it felt more lonely and deserted in here than it did outside, leaving Cloud to feel as small as an ant.

No moonlight pooled down into the ancient building, but the faint light of the stars and they gave off a small amount of their iridescent glow. The only thing that gave away the water which still remained in a calm pool was the quiet noise of water lapping against the broken floorboards. And that was also the only noise inside as well.

But Cloud merely shook his head and stepped forward into the somewhat less dark area of the church, rubbing his hands together to bring some warmth back to his still weak body. The temperature was less of a bother in here than outside, but still freezing and below normal. And that cold was all that Cloud felt as he neared the waters. Not the same familiar warmth that had been here for so long, just empty cold that wrapped around him like a blanket.

He couldn't even detect the presence of Aeris that had always swarmed in here since her death. Perhaps it had truly been put to rest with the 'end' of the Geostigma. But that couldn't be the case because even after all the events that had transpired a short while ago, Cloud knew she was watching over them whilst Kadaj and himself took refuge here.

As the floorboards made a familiar _creaking_ noise under his newfound boots, Cloud was swept up in a stream of deep thoughts while his body battled the cold air that surrounded him. He passed all the breaking church benches and all the ones that had managed to remain upright. The once neat rows came to an end and Cloud found himself standing before the healing waters, which reflected the stars above and the glow of the city outside.

Cloud reached inside one of his many pockets, one in particular that was covered by an array of silver buckles, and withdrew a small plastic bottle. He had retrieved it from Tifa's bar area behind the marble counter top, and had left shortly after that, but not before glancing back at his room, mentally wishing that Kadaj would pull through.

Bending downwards, the sore muscles in his legs bunching up, Cloud opened the lid and dipped it into the frigid waters. Though it wasn't the temperature that made the water so cold, but the fact that it was so pure that caused such an effect. As Cloud took his hand out of the water, he was suddenly not so sure about what he doing. But Kadaj needed this for his Geostigma and perhaps it would even allow him to heal properly.

He stood back up, his legs burning temporarily from not being ready to function as well as Cloud pleased. He brushed the feeling off and headed towards the doors, then something caught his attention through the corner of his eye.

Glowing radiantly, a single flower sprouted out of one of the far corners. Its petals were a bright white and in some places it was speckled red. The appearance it gave was that of a Lilly, but Cloud wasn't too sure. The stem was just as bright, except it was green, unlike the majority of the flower. Luscious green leaves spouted outwards, gently swaying from side to side even though there was no breeze to push them.

Cloud bent down in front of it, mako eyes studying the magnificent organism. He reached for it hesitantly, then stopped once the presence of Aeris once again filled the ancient church. The cold was replaced with abnormal warmth, something even Cloud hadn't experienced while he had made this his home away from the bar.

There was no time though to hang around while Kadaj was back at Seventh Heaven, holding onto life by a single thread. So, standing back up and turning away, Cloud ushered one last good-bye to the glowing flower, a symbol of Aeris he assumed, and headed back to the isle of which he had walked down numerous times before.

Cloud tucked the bottle safely into the same pocket that he had stored it in and resumed his steady pace, glad that his legs were not as jelly-like as they had been before. Completely assured that the healing water would not leak, Cloud reached for the old wooden door and applied a small amount of force onto them, the same noise filling his ears as it had only moments ago.

He glanced back one last time before shutting them as quietly as possible. As he did so a gentle breeze swept over him, rustling his hair and giving him the warmth he needed to stand the cold temperatures of the night.

"Have faith," it seemed to whisper into his ear.

Cloud turned around, half expecting to find someone there, but there wasn't. Perhaps he was imagining it and his mind was only playing games. As he walked away from the building, Cloud couldn't help but look back and whisper, "I'll try."

"You'll try what?" A gruff voice interrupted.

Cloud snapped his half lidded eyes open; his heart racing at the sudden change in the atmosphere. He became aware of several eyes that bore almost completely through him, each stare filled with anger and hate. Cloud looked around and noticed that three tall, extremely built men blocked his way, each wearing almost identical attire.

"What's that you got in your pocket?" The man who had first spoken to him demanded, pointing towards the pocket which held the healing waters within it.

Cloud only stared at him blankly, blond hair lifting into the air as he raised his head. He then tried to move past the biggest out of them all, but was stopped when two hands clenched tightly onto his upper arms, preventing him from going anywhere.

The leader, the one who had spoken to him, was in front of Cloud before he could do anything. The blond bit his lip, drawing blood and tasting the bitter copper that came with it as a balled up fist was rammed into his stomach. Shortly after, the same man reached for the pocket that was protected with the silver buckles. And that was when Cloud had enough of the thugs.

Lashing out, Cloud connected the toe of his boot with the face of the leader, causing the man to topple backwards. Without giving the other men a chance, Cloud raised his left leg slightly so that his knee was bent, then thrust it backwards, striking the now sorry man in the groin. One of the hands was immediately taken away from his arm, leaving Cloud with one last person to take care of.

He was still weak, sure, but Cloud was determined and that alone gave him power over the others. Using his free arm, Cloud grasped onto the standing man's arm and pulled down on it, forcefully making him come closer. Cloud didn't want to make too much of a disturbance, so, using little force, the blond struck him in the side of the head, knocking the man out cold.

His pure mako eyes surveyed the mess of bodies, glad that nothing had been damaged. Cloud turned around and made for the bar and in a matter of a few minutes, the blond was standing before Seventh Heaven, marveled at how well his body was healing. But Kadaj wasn't. He was dying with every passing hour it seemed.

Rushing inside, up the wooden stairs, and through the door of his bedroom, Cloud came upon the scene of a coughing Kadaj and his two friends watching the rebel. Tifa looked somewhat worried, surprising Cloud, as Vincent observed everything with his glowing crimson eyes.

"Is he alright?"

"For the moment," Tifa answered, eyes shifting away from Cloud. She didn't like the situation, especially since she knew her friend would do anything and go anywhere just for the sake of some bandit.

Cloud walked over to the mattress and sat down beside it, watching Kadaj's irregular breathing and cringed at how horrible the rebel looked. He reached into his pocket and took out the bottle, pure crystalline water glistening in the light from the lamp. Cloud popped the lid off using the nail on his thumb and reached across Kadaj's now shivering body.

_I hope this works..._

Cloud tipped the bottle downwards and watched as the healing water splashed onto Kadaj's pale skin. It created an iridescent glow in the light, but Cloud noticed something was missing. He sat back up and peered down, looking for the otherworldly green glow that would signal to him that the Geostigma was being cured.

There was no glow. The water did nothing.

And Kadaj was now reacting to it in a horrifying manner.


	12. Possessed by an 'angel'

Author Note: Wow! Thanks everybody! Okay, now that exams are _finally_ out of the way, I'll try to update more often because things are about to get interesting! Oh yes, just wait. I now leave you with the continuation of Abstract Silver and its many evil twists and turns!

* * *

**Abstract Silver**

**Possessed by an 'angel'

* * *

**

Kadaj had been dreaming.

It wasn't the best of dreams that he had experienced. He was surprised that he was even capable of dreaming. There had been a sheet of calmness draped over his shoulders, allowing him to rest in peace. He was also completely oblivious to the pain his tormented body was experiencing.

When the dream had faded away into nothing, Kadaj was left alone with what he had discarded and did not like it at all. He hated feeling pain, it made him weak. Though from what he could tell, he was beyond weak. Nothing but a helpless shell.

During the moments where Cloud had arrived back at the bar, something Kadaj was also unaware of, the silver haired rebel tried to shut everything out, hoping the pain would subside for a few hours or more. Then the strangest sensation hit his body in a river of cold ice.

The water rippled over his burning skin, hurting him, causing his body to panic. He felt completely frozen, unable to move, yet his body was flailing around as if it had a mind of its own. All he wanted to do was remain still and sleep his problems away, but quite frankly, things wouldn't be going as smoothly.

Kadaj cringed inside as his muscles went into spasms whilst the water attacked the Geostigma. But the water had very little power to it, unlike before, and did nothing as the disease fought back with little strength. Kadaj bit his lip unintentionally, tasting his own blood as it pooled up inside of his mouth. Unable to stand it any longer, he heaved forwards and spit it out, spraying the blankets over him with small droplets of crimson.

He felt hands press down on his arms and lashed out in a weakened manner. He didn't know who was doing it, nor their purpose. He was shunned from the luxury of being able to see and therefore the reason why he was acting strangely.

Then he heard _his_ voice, calling out in worried tones.

He wanted to answer, but the Geostigma was gaining power, turning him into nothingness. Frustration exploded within and Kadaj tried to fight against the bothersome disease, but could not hold up to the horrific power it possessed.

A hand brushed past his forehead, pushing back his hair, which felt disgusting on so many levels. The thought of just how awful it must look plagued Kadaj as he once again fought for control. It helped out a great deal that words of encouragement were being ushered through his niisan, most of which he couldn't decipher.

He body went still, muscles burning, heart racing at abnormal speeds. Silence filled the room but it was light enough to keep his body calm. Shuffling noises echoed in his ears momentarily as a deeply controlled voice accompanied them.

"I will return in a weeks time."

No questions were asked and Kadaj could understand why. The voice was just dripping with wisdom. A sharp noise of fabric turning and heavy boots upon the floor were the only indications that whoever it was had left.

Silence took over once again.

It was enough to lull Kadaj into a trance of sleep, one that was too promising to refuse. There were some things that he wanted to know and many more that he wanted to do, but he knew that he wouldn't be granted any of those things and gave into the darkness, wrapping himself in a world of better things.

* * *

Fog surrounded Kadaj from all angles.

It was like a brick wall before him, and just as thick. Yet again he could not see and that aroused some well maintained anger, creeping out from his box of hidden emotions. Then there was the fact that he was unable to move.

Before Kadaj could react to this, whispers began to fill the small space he was placed in. They rung loudly in his ears, growing louder and louder with every passing second. It was up to the point that it hurt, causing Kadaj to forcefully raise his hands, flinching at how much energy it took, and cover his sore ears.

_Kadaj._

_You've failed Kadaj._

_Failed._

_Failed..._

_You're a failure Kadaj._

_Disgraceful._

_Kadaj._

_Failure!_

The silver haired rebel ignored the pain that shook his body and flung himself to the ground, clenching his eyes and allowing his hair to cover his face completely. The voice didn't stop though, and continued to grow in volume as Kadaj felt his ears beginning to bleed.

_Horrible._

_Return to me._

_Your time has run out._

_Horrible!_

_Failure!_

_Disgraceful son!_

His eyes opened as crimson trickled down his neck, landing on the exact same spot that the Geostigma had taken residence. The voice was nothing more than a screech, bouncing inside of his head. But it had forced him to open his eyes, shedding some light into his world, though it wasn't much.

Fingernails digging into the soft skin on his head, Kadaj did his best to block out the horrific noise and managed to when he completely drove it away. However, it was quickly replaced with a heavily weighed silence, much to Kadaj's dismay.

It felt like the world was crashing down upon him.

The silver haired rebel was forced to let go of his still ringing ears and his eyes widened slightly at the sight of his own blood smeared across his hands. Kadaj didn't have any time to study them as the force became worse, pushing him flat against the ground.

He stared at the black ground he was pressed against and struggled to rise when he felt everything being sucked into a void only a few feet in front of him. The fog was quickly dissipating, and the entire area that surrounded him as well.

His body was pulled forward as he ground out colorful words, clawing at the ground in hope that he could grasp onto something. Without any luck at all, Kadaj found himself at the mouth of the void, a force so strong that it screamed in his hears just as loudly as the 'whispering' voice had.

Before the silver haired rebel could do anything he was pulled directly into the void, screaming for help as it swallowed him whole.

* * *

From the side, Cloud and Tifa watched as Kadaj drifted off yet again. The mako eyes of which the blond possessed were livid with confusion as his gaze remained on the sleeping figure before them. Tifa on the other hand, was slightly worried for both her friend's sake, and the children who were bound to stumble upon Kadaj one was or another.

Kadaj lay still for what seemed like a very short time before he began clawing at the air, arms waving around frantically. A scream was ripped from his pale lips, echoing around and bouncing off the walls. Cloud was beside him within an instant, trying to hold his arms down, but Kadaj wouldn't stop.

The blond struggled for control over Kadaj, but had no other choice to draw back when the silver haired rebel struck outwards, catching Cloud on the right side of his face with surprisingly sharp fingernails, breaking skin and drawing blood.

Tifa ran forwards, grabbing Cloud by his forearm and pulling him away from the ill rebel. She stared at Kadaj for a few seconds until Cloud broke free from her grasp, heading towards the door. He only stopped briefly to inform her of where he was going, and that was downstairs.

Cloud shut the door quietly behind him, shaking his head from side to side at the turn of events and what was most likely to occur later on if everything continued to play out this way. He heard Tifa let out a long kept sigh as he entered the stairwell, then the noises as Kadaj once again thrashed back and forth on the spare mattress.

When he reached the bar area, Cloud went straight to the cupboards and retrieved a small crystal glass. With that in hand he walked towards a stainless steel sink, turning the white knob with the word 'Cold' etched into it. Water filled the glass up in mere seconds, small droplets landing on Cloud's pale skin where they glistened in the dull lighting.

At least they were lively.

* * *

Kadaj was thrown back into the same bland looking world that he had been in before. The fog was worse, but there was no voices, no intense weight threatening to crush him like a bug. And even though this place seemed a lot better than the first, there was still something greatly amiss.

The fog began to change shape, slowly spinning from side to side. Kadaj squinted his eyes slightly, trying to make out what it was doing. It didn't help that the fog was beginning to depart from its original position, making it harder to see.

In seconds the fog vanished completely out of sight. Kadaj let out a quiet sigh, eyes scanning the area just in case any more evils haunted the place. Glowing jade caught a glimpse of something from afar, but was taken off guard when the fog returned, causing him to fall down backwards.

The fog warped into an array of different colors, most of them dull. But they soon formed pictures and those pictures formed into scenes of his past life.

Haunting images flashed by, ones he had kept hidden away from even himself. Kadaj closed his eyes, but the images were still there. He tried to run but found that he couldn't. Then just as fast as they had appeared, they stopped.

Cracking his eyes open so that they were nothing but slits, Kadaj gazed deep into the fog and set his jade orbs upon a shadowed figure. It came closer and closer with every step, and with it the feeling of power returned, choking him.

_Failure!_

The voice returned from before, just as strong and horrible. The figure stopped moving and more images appeared, ones that Kadaj had never experienced before, ones he never remembered, ones he wished he had.

It was himself. And he was _free._

_This could be yours._

_All yours._

_Yours forever._

_Freedom._

The fog lowered and the figure stepped through. Kadaj froze at the sight of the person who was now in front of him. He knew this man and he didn't want to be near him at the moment. But there was nowhere to run to.

Piercing eyes watched him carefully, studying his every move. He was clothed in his favored armor, worn and still intact. He carried no weapon, hands balled into fists close to his sides. But the thing that stood out among him the most was his long silver hair.

Sephiroth.

"So Kadaj, you've come to this have you?"

The older man looked down, a smirk tugging on the corner of his lips. His hair hung down loosely, covering the right side of his face. Placing his hands on his hips, Sephiroth cocked his head to the side and spoke once more.

"Will you lend me your strength?" He motioned to where the fog had once been. "In exchange, you'll be granted freedom."

Kadaj blinked several times, shocked to say the least. He didn't take long to think about it. Of course he wanted freedom, but what exactly did Sephiroth mean by 'lend me your strength'? Nevertheless, if the older man wanted some of his strength for freedom in return, then Kadaj would do it.

Besides, he had nothing to loose.

Silver hair brushing over his pale face, Kadaj nodded slowly. He was immediately met with a widening smirk from Sephiroth and the rebel didn't like it one bit. Suddenly, the older man stepped forward and everything went black.

* * *

Tifa looked back at the door, confused about everything. She heard soft whimpering coming from Kadaj and looked over, noticing that something looked irregular in his sleeping position, as if he was merely faking it. Then, without warning, his eyes shot open.

Those weren't the eyes that Kadaj possessed.

The intense hate that filled them was enough to make her stomach turn. Icy depths stared at her like a predator, kicking her instincts into gear. She readied herself for a fight, still confused by what was happening, but could do nothing as Kadaj shot outwards, hands circling her neck.

Surely the kid couldn't house that much strength as to choke the air from her lungs? Hell, his older brother couldn't even do it. And Tifa knew that it wasn't Kadaj was doing this, but something else. However, she was unable to fight back.

Feeling her life being whisked away as she frantically kicked outwards, hoping to strike Kadaj, Tifa choked out the name "Cloud", before entering a place of darkness.


	13. Breakaway or breakdown

Author note: Mu hu ha ha ha ha. A big thanks to the generous reviewers who have, well, reviewed. I adore the response and and and and all the nice things packed into them. They're like a Christmas present, but better. Now it's time for another chapter in the story of evil, which this basically is considering all the things that have happened...

* * *

**Abstract Silver**

**Breakaway or breakdown

* * *

**

Cloud slowly made his way up the stairs, shoulders so tensed up that they weeped. His chocobo colored hair swayed from side to side, gently brushing over the sides of his pale face every so often. His mood hadn't exactly changed, in fact it had gotten worse. It felt like the entire world was weighing down on his shoulders; something awful to experience and something that he had many times before.

As the door to his room neared, Cloud silently passed the room that the children were supposed to be in. He pushed open the door without the hinges grinding together, and peered inside. Two small lumps on a king sized bed settled the worry that had grown inside of his stomach. Well, some of it.

Closing the door just as expertly as he had done before, Cloud turned back and concentrated on the problems that he was faced with. However, the blond hadn't the slightest chance to think things through when choking gasps came from the door in front of him.

Cloud let the crystal glass slip from the clutches of his hand and didn't even spare the floor a glance as it shattered into a thousand pieces, each a size of it's own and no two alike. It scared him to hear the rasping noises, but what was worse was the fact that the person who was making them was not Kadaj, but Tifa.

Tifa was in trouble.

He burst through the bedroom door, kicking it as hard as he could. It swung open with a quick _creak_ before silver hinges came apart and the wooden barrier crashed down onto the floor behind Cloud. The blond wasn't startled, he wasn't scared, he was terribly mortified.

His mako eyes came upon Kadaj, who had both pale hands wrapped around Tifa's neck, an insane look sparkling inside of the silver haired rebel's jade eyes. And he didn't even stop to spare Cloud a glance, not one, but continue with what he was doing until he finally let Tifa go, her body colliding with the ground followed by a loud _thud._

Cloud rushed forward, gathering Tifa up in his arms as her body went sickly limp. He checked her pulse using his index and middle fingers, letting out a long kept sigh to find that there was life still flowing inside of her. Then, turning slowly upwards, Cloud met with the gleaming eyes of Kadaj that seemed to laugh at him.

Hurt and betrayal ran through him like cold ice. Cloud had never felt anything quite like this before, it was horrible. He couldn't believe that Kadaj would do such a thing as that. Why would he fake a terrible illness, his fear, and the Geostigma? Was it even real? Was it just some makeup and perhaps some dirt plastered to his skin? But there was one question that Cloud kept asking himself.

_Why?_

Careful not to injure her, Cloud lifted Tifa up and carried her to his bed. He placed her onto the blanket covered mattress and watched closely as her chest slowly rose and fell, rose and fell. He went to usher a slur of apologies, but cruel laughter cut him off.

"Amazing how frail human beings are, _niisan_." Kadaj stepped closer to where Cloud continuously glanced back at Tifa. He crossed his arms and wiped the dry blood off from around his pale lips. "Quite a pitiful thing."

Cloud narrowed his eyes, anger radiating off him just as powerful as mako. He glanced back at Tifa once more, then lunged forwards as his mind spun in circles blindly, still confused as to what was happening. But Cloud was greeted by Kadaj himself, who grasped the blond painfully around the neck using only one hand.

There was no way Kadaj possessed this much strength.

Biting his lip and cringing painfully, Cloud felt the air being cut off from his lungs within seconds. He tried to fight back but that was useless at this time. A thought crossed his mind. A horrible thought. The children were so close by and would be in danger, possibly killed if Kadaj followed through with his obvious plan.

Bringing up an arm with as much force as he could, the blond connected it with the side of Kadaj's face and felt the death grip weaken. He used this to his advantage and reached within his pants, bringing out a small pocket knife. The size didn't matter now, but just how sharp the shinning blade was. And Cloud soon found out.

As Kadaj turned back towards Cloud after recoiling from the blow to his face, the blond took the pocket knife and thrust it into the bare hand which threatened to take his life away. Kadaj let go immediately, grasping his hand in pain as blood trickled down it and onto the floor underneath them. But he pushed it out of the way and glared at Cloud; something the blond had never seen before running through his eyes.

Kadaj placed a clutched fist in his other hand, flicked it arm upwards and caught Cloud directly in the face. Shooting backwards, the blond flew out the bedroom door and out into the hallway. His head connected with the hard floor and he could feel bruises forming already.

There were only a few seconds to give his lungs some fresh air before Kadaj emerged from the room with frightening speed. The silver haired rebel wasn't feeling all that generous at the time and violently grabbed Cloud by his hair and sent him flying face first into the pile of broken glass that was scattered on the floor only a few feet away.

He could hear the children moving around inside of the room and hoped that they were smart enough to stay away from the danger. It was them that was on his mind as the sharp pieces of crystal cut open his skin like a hot knife to butter.

There was a painful cut under his left eye and the sensation of warm crimson dripping down his face was unsettling. Trying to raise himself, Cloud was propped up by his elbows and suddenly felt a sharp heel digging into his back. However, the blond wished no harm to the children and wanted Kadaj as far away from them as possible. So, gathering up a handful of glass, the sharp edges digging into his skin, Cloud twisted himself so that he was facing Kadaj and tossed the broken crystal directly into the pale face that held up a deadly smirk.

But the smirk was gone now.

The silver haired rebel made to kick at Cloud, but the blond rolled to the side and quickly brought himself upright. Their eyes locked as a battle raged on. Slowly, Cloud noticed, the icy color of Kadaj's eye began to flicker, but didn't have the chance to fully examine him when he darted to the side, heading for the lower floor.

Cloud wasted no time just standing around. He followed close behind the runaway, small droplets of blood seeping out the small wounds where the glass had punctured his skin. His footfalls were loud on the stairs, as were those of Kadaj, but it kept him from tiring out; it made him concentrate on the situation at hand.

Kadaj reached the bottom and sprinted behind a corner, heading towards the bar area. Cloud rounded the same one, wincing as his shoulder slammed roughly into the sharp edge. He was thrown off for a few seconds, trying hard to regain his balance, glad that he could perfect it within seconds. It was just enough time to see Kadaj hide behind the marble counter top.

Eyes focused completely before him, Cloud inched forward, wishing dearly that he had some form of a weapon handy. Sadly, that couldn't be done. Nevertheless, the blond got closer and closer to the bar area and stopped, listening to the silence for the sounds of heavy breathing.

There was nothing.

A floorboard made a loud _creaking_ noise under his left foot as he proceeded with extreme caution. Cloud cursed the flooring and noted to himself that one of the first things he was going to do after all this chaos was over, was to install better flooring, stuff that wouldn't give away his exact position.

There was a quiet rustle of clothing from ahead, without a doubt Kadaj. Cloud couldn't pinpoint where it had came from, therefore he was left with nothing but confusion to work with. But his mind pushed him further, demanding justice for being tricked so horribly, and his legs seemed to move with a mind of their own.

The counter top was now in front of him. The reflection of the poor lighting became a nasty distraction as Cloud tried to concentrate, but it was right in the corner of his eye and was quickly growing extremely irritating. He _had_ been through worse, so, forcing himself to turn his head slightly away from it, the blond neared the corner of the marble counter top and peered around it.

There was nothing but darkness down there. His eyes couldn't depict the slightest disturbance in the black void, not even the sound of moving fabric like he had before. But then he saw those eyes. Those _icy_ and _hateful_ eyes.

A shimmer in the dull lighting was the only indication that Kadaj held a weapon. And the seconds that circulated around them were all too short. Lunging out like a wild animal, a large kitchen knife raised above his head, Kadaj attacked Cloud.

An angered scream rose from with Kadaj's throat, so savage like that it hurt Cloud's ears. The blond darted to the side, watching as his attacker missed his target, and looked around frantically for anything that he could use to defend himself, but his time was cut short yet again.

The knife came directly into view, narrowly missing his neck. Cloud stumbled backwards, feet entangling together, causing him to fall down. His back met the ground roughly and the floorboards creaked once more. Unlike the struggle in the hallway, Cloud was unable to move as the knife came plummeting towards him.

Cold metal tore flesh and muscle, driving violently into his shoulder bone. The blond furrowed his eyebrows together, teeth grinding against one another as he tried to bite back the pain that suddenly exploded. However, nothing could compare to it when the knife was pulled out, wriggling slightly as Kadaj freed it from the bone.

Within seconds the knife came speeding towards Cloud, but this time it was aimed at his face. He couldn't do a single thing but watch as it neared at incredible speed, then suddenly it froze mere centimeters from his nose.

The knife shook in the hand Kadaj grasped it in. The silver haired rebel slowly lost the _icy_ look and the _hatred_ in his eyes as Cloud witnessed an inner battle being fought. With a clatter, the knife fell to the side and slid away from them, allowing the blond to breath once again.

Kadaj bent to the ground, knees smashing into the floorboards, grasping his uncleaned hair. A scream of agony tore from his lips as he lowered his head to the ground. Cloud was definitely bewildered, unsure of what to think at the moment. When Kadaj stopped and went still for what seemed like an eternity, the blond slowly backed himself away using his elbows, enough for him to stand up, then cautiously headed towards him, but not after he picked up the kitchen knife.

With the weapon grasped tightly in his injured hands, Cloud came within a foot of the rebel. He held the knife out to the side, away from the younger man, then went to place a hand on his shoulder. Kadaj spun around, his eyes flickering between the two surreal colors. Piercing jade was overthrown by ice, but there was still a battle going on inside. He swatted Cloud's hand away and stood with speed identical to a chocobo, but Cloud refused to be pushed around.

"_Get away!"_ A voice unlike that of which belonged to Kadaj came from the rebel. Cloud took a few seconds to register everything, but his mind was racing.

Silver hair covering most of his pale face, Kadaj spun around, back facing Cloud, and made a dash for the locked door ahead. No slab of wood or metal was going to keep him cooped up. He brought his foot up and kicked at the door, knocking it off its hinges. It was a portal to a different world, one outside of this place. A place where he would rule once more.

He would show those feeble humans what he was capable of.

The name of Sephiroth would be spoken once more!

Cloud tried to stop him, but Kadaj was already outside, running down the length of the street with immortal like speed. He was left speechless, confused, and hurt. Though he would have liked to think things over, one thing crossed his mind.

_The children!_

Tossing the knife to the side, he watched as Kadaj was completely consumed by the darkness outside, nothing more than a moving blur, then hesitantly turned around. Cloud made for the stairs as quickly as his body granted, placing a hand over the wound on his shoulder blade. A warm liquid sensation greeted his touch, however, Cloud had his mind set elsewhere and pain felt like nothing but an irritating numbness.

Whimpers of Denzel and Marlene greeted Cloud as he made it to their room after much thought as to how he was going to explain everything to them. He pushed open the door, glad it had been closed fully, and came upon the sight of the two children huddled in the bed, their eyes wide with fright.

"It's okay now," he choked out. Neither of them looked convinced. "It's alright, really."

They both leaped off the bed and ran towards Cloud. He cringed inside when he saw how shaken up they were and blamed himself completely for it. The children asked obvious questions and Cloud gave them half answers, preventing himself from mentioning Kadaj. After all, it would only frighten them further.

Denzel, trying to prove to Cloud that he was brave, stepped back from the older man and Marlene, a confused expression on his face.

"Where is Tifa?"

Cloud froze and immediately remembered leaving her in his room. The children saw the change in his facial expression, as well as the way his shoulders slouched forwards slightly. They didn't say anything but follow Cloud as he rushed out of the room and into his own.

"Tifa!" Both children said together, running up to the murmuring figure on the bed.

The injured woman furrowed her brows and mumbled a few incoherent words before her eyes slowly opened, long lashes brushing upon her skin temporarily. She looked around and quickly caught the look Cloud was giving her and then it hit her.

Kadaj had done something awful. But it wasn't Kadaj ... was it?

"Tifa, are you alright?" Cloud asked, his face caked with dried blood.

"Cloud," she spoke in tones short of a whisper, her voice barely audible. "W-what happened?"

"There were all these loud noises Tifa!" Marlene pipped up. "Me and Denzel were really scared, then Cloud came and rescued us."

The said blond was currently looking out a small window, his eyes unreadable. Tifa sighed lightly and went to move, but was suddenly forced into a massive fit of coughing. Cloud snapped out of his daze and made sure that she was fine, then checked on the children.

Tifa could see the damage that had been done.

"Cloud, go after him."

"But-"

Tifa reached out and tugged on the collar of his shirt, letting go when she met the warm crimson liquid that now stained her hands.

"Go now." She watched as he moved to the door, then she spoke again in a louder voice, almost the equivalent of what she normally sounded like. "And Cloud, it wasn't Kadaj, I know it wasn't."

The blond stopped in the doorway, looking back at her with surprise evident in his eyes.

"It wasn't him, it was _Sephiroth._"


	14. Regaining innocence

Author note: Roar! Back with another installment of Abstract Silver. I had one of those moments where my mind goes completely blank and unwilling to think. It's not writer's block because I have so much planned for this story! Anyways, like usual, I'd like to thank those who have kindly reviewed because that is just _awesome_. Here's another chapter, longer than the previous I made sure of, I hope you enjoy it.

* * *

**Abstract Silver**

**Regaining innocence

* * *

**

There was a sense of calm about this place. He remembered it well, but part of his mind certainly adored blocking it out. There was also the fact that the body he was using was trying desperately to break free from the hold he had over it. But he was stronger.

Everything glowed with a soft white fluorescent light, brightening the dark night sky. The trees that snaked up to the sky were the source of this supernatural light, something a stranger could not believe at first unless they visited this place.

Not a breeze could be detected, nor any loud sounds of the wind billowing near by. A quiet barrier seemed to be formed around this place, something he could use to his advantage if he so wanted. The brittle looking branches of the trees remained still in an eerie peace as he rushed past row upon row of the glowing giants.

There wasn't a lot of time remaining before someone came after him. Cloud was on a list of the people that would, causing a cold smirk to form on the pale face of Kadaj, though it was not one of his own. The foolish blond would be easy to take care of, but there was one problem and that could only be the lack of a proper weapon. How he longed for the cold, razor sharp blade of his most prized sword.

No time to worry about such small things as that. He also had to find the perfect place to hide himself away where he planned on building up more strength and trying hard to force Kadaj's body and soul into submission. The child sure was ignorant.

Adjusting his icy eyes to the forest ahead, he could see a small clearing coming up fast. The quick pace he had been able to maintain was reduced to a slow walk as Sephiroth felt an unwanted feeling of tiredness and pain creep into his muscles.

Worthless, worthless body.

He couldn't have possibly imagined that the greatest puppet would be nothing but a weakling. It was truly disgusting. How in the hell was he supposed to function properly in a shell such as this that can't even keep a fair running speed? He was beginning to doubt his actions of trying to come back, but his pride stopped it almost immediately.

The clearing was within ten feet away from Kadaj now, him and the man that had a insane amount of control over his body. Several steps and much complaining from sore leg muscles, the silver haired man set eyes upon a almost hidden rock and after a violent inner battle with himself, Sephiroth decided to rest.

He shouldn't have to lower himself to this. Ever.

The surface of his desired resting place was cold to the touch. It formed goose flesh on his arms, that much he was sure of, but didn't even want to think that such things as that were possible for him. It was another sign of weakness and yet again he was displeased with Kadaj's body.

Things were definitely proving to be rather... complicated. He hadn't completely expected Kadaj to be able to withhold his power, but this was just ridiculous. Perhaps it was the incredibly strong disease eating away at his neck or the fact that Kadaj had given up on everything and let himself be turned into nothing but a rotting piece of flesh. Sephiroth didn't know if it was the real reason, nor did he bother to care.

As the glow of the ancient trees gave him the light to guide his way, Sephiroth constantly darted his eyes from side to side, making sure that nobody dared to interfere with his time of rest. There was nothing to fret over as the seemingly never ending amount of trees that surrounded him, standing tall in silent mockery.

From up in a near by tree, a tall figure silently watched the stranger look around in an almost frantic manner, his leather clad chest heaving up in down with a fast pace. He used whatever shadows there were to his advantage, slowly creeping closer and closer.

He had seen this one before, even talked about him. But there was something wrong about his appearance and the sudden ability he had gained to move about. Surely there was no possible way for the Geostigma to be cured so quickly? Maybe he was mistaken.

Kadaj moved from his spot below, unaware that a pair of eyes watched and studied his every move, taking anything suspicious and embedding it within his mind as to save it for later. He also failed to notice a flash of dark colored fabric moving quickly behind him, up to the point where it now stood behind one of the glowing trees, a mere five feet away.

With silent grace, the figure moved to the higher branches of the tree, keeping his back arched perfectly against the trunk so he could blend in better. His deep eyes seemed to not move at all, but they followed Kadaj as he moved away. Then he sensed something.

Kadaj spun around, eyes narrowing towards the ancient trees. A quick flutter of fabric could be heard amongst the thick silence, forcefully making a heart that was not his own beat twice the speed considered normal. He walked up to the tree where the figure had been only seconds before, icy eyes sweeping over every branch and crook to make sure that nobody was there and that it was only the weak mind of which Kadaj possessed.

Silence greeted him for the second time within an hour or so, something Sephiroth was both grateful and angered towards. As he skimmed over all the other trees briefly, the same shuffling noise from before could be heard.

_Click._

Spinning around using Kadaj's body, Sephiroth came face to face with a triple barreled gun. He immediately fought for control over the empty shell which was Kadaj's body and grinned when he felt no more mortal emotions.

Vincent remained calm, his finger never leaving the trigger of his deadly gun. His crimson eyes bore into those of Kadaj, though he knew within seconds that the eyes he looked into did not belong to Kadaj, but someone else.

A cold laugh echoed throughout the ancient forest, effecting the balance of the silence but Vincent showed no signs of emotion, not even bothering to tighten the grip on his gun. He could feel the danger that had risen and quickly formulated a plan within his mind. But there was little time.

Kadaj lashed outwards, a yell ripping from his throat in a voice that was not his own. Vincent blocked the attack using the barrel of his gun, tilting it sideways. The force of bare hands clashing with cold metal was abnormally strong, making the suspicions Vincent had grow. He placed a foot in front of himself, applying force against the gun and successfully pushed Kadaj backwards.

Flipping backwards and landing with perfection upon one of many branches that sprouted from the ancient trees, Vincent immediately began to shoot rapidly at Kadaj, purposely missing for he knew that Kadaj was still in there somewhere. He walked along the length of an abnormally long branch, his metal boots incredibly silent as they moved over it.

The silver haired man easily dodged the first few bullets, but that was the end of it. They now rained down upon him in a zig-zag pattern, but it was hard to catch on to. He narrowly missed one by flipping backwards, then threw himself to the ground as another flew over his head, missing it by mere inches. Suddenly, the bullets stopped.

Sephiroth looked upwards, glaring at the empty branch where Vincent had once walked along. But he had little time to curse the life of the man in the red before more bullets collided with the ground in front of him.

A smirk crept onto his face after a minute or so of watching the way the bullets never actually hit him. That man wasn't trying at all, not one bit. He could use this to his advantage and give the gunslinger a nice little surprise.

Vincent watched closely as bullet casing after bullet casing flew out the sides of his gun whilst Kadaj seemed to catch onto what he was doing. He quickly reloaded his gun with another clip, grateful that it carried more than one usually would. And as that smirk grew on Kadaj's face, Vincent waited for the right moment, then stopped, vanishing once again.

Sephiroth spun himself around using Kadaj's body yet again, waiting for Vincent to appear behind him once more. But it never happened.

After waiting several minutes, the silver haired man grew impatient and began to dart his eyes from tree to tree, cracking knuckles that were not his own in anticipation to break the neck of the disgraceful gunslinger. But there was still no sign of that man anywhere.

There it was again, the flutter of fabric.

Sephiroth turned in the other direction, then back again, his frustration building. He stopped and listened, looking up just in time as Vincent came from above, hitting him in the head using his gun with enough force to knock him out cold.

* * *

The temperature in the city was half decent, a mixture between warm and cold. Every so often a breeze would pass by, giving those left outside chills that lasted for only a few moments before they melted away from their body temperature. It was quiet besides the wind and the rare mummer of the slums who talked from within the shelter of alleyways and behind buildings.

There were no lamps to light the streets, but the glow coming from the windows of near by buildings that littered the central part of Midgar. Quite often a shadow could be seen darting across the stone ground and into the shadows of looming buildings. And sadly enough, the quiet laughter of children could be heard as they told stories and tried to keep each other happy. It was hard living without a home, without a family.

A breeze came up once more, rustling the locks of already messed golden chocobo hair. Cloud stood before the ruined center piece of Midgar that Bahamut had ruined when Kadaj summoned it. The center piece was now nothing more than a reduced size of scrap metal and melted plastic, forever destined to be nothing but that.

He turned away, mako eyes catching sight as several small children and a group of slums stood over a burning barrel that was rusted and charred from previous use. A new sword, one he had found before leaving the bar and Tifa with the children, made a _clinking_ noise as it bumped against metal buttons that held the complex sheath together when he began to move away.

Cloud knew Kadaj would not be found near people at all. But he wasn't dealing with Kadaj anymore and the thought bothered him beyond belief. He felt violated to some extent, but more so angered that Sephiroth would dare show himself after being assumed dead and forever forgotten.

But there was still Kadaj somewhere inside of that body, he knew it. Past all the powerful clutches Sephiroth obviously held over him and all the darkness, Kadaj had to be somewhere. He wouldn't be lost forever and he wanted to know how such a thing could have possibly happened, and right under their noses too.

Cloud passed another group of people huddled around a burning barrel and kept his eyes forward, knowing that if he looked at them he would feel nothing but guilt. So, keeping his shoulders pressed forward and purposely letting a large amount of hair cover one side of his face, Cloud pressed on.

He turned a corner that was bordered by a building, then looked upwards when he saw something shift on its low rooftop. Whoever or whatever it was turned around and formed into nothing but shadows. Cloud simply brushed it off and blamed his eyes for seeing things that probably didn't even exist.

His search had turned out to be nothing but one misleading thing to another. It was growing late and his body was becoming extremely exhausted from being pushed over the edge. Especially while his wounds from fighting Kadaj ... Sephiroth hadn't healed at all. Nothing was helping at all and Cloud was about to go back to the bar and check up on everyone when something caught his attention.

Like a owl with silent flight, Vincent appeared out of nowhere, his crimson eyes almost glowing in the night. Cloud let out a small sigh and stopped his walk, facing the direction which Vincent was coming from.

"It seems the runaway has been caught."

The weight that had been boring down upon Cloud's shoulders for quite some time seemed to be lifted by Vincent's quietly spoken words. He gave his friend a small nod and made for the bar with renewed speed.

* * *

The darkness was sucked from within him and spit back out into a spinning vortex. It vanished and Kadaj found that he had some control over himself again, more than he had before the most disgusting feeling had over taken him when he promised to help that man.

That liar!

His eyes opened and it felt like experiencing something new for the first time in his life. The world he was surrounded by was still the same, still walls of fog and the feeling of being placed in a small area made him cringe. He hated feeling like a caged animal.

Something from in front of him began to appear, much like Sephiroth had before. However, this time there was no man with silver hair to greet him, nothing at all except for an outline of something truly deformed. Thankfully it was so shrouded by a blue colored mist that Kadaj was unable to see. But he knew who it was as soon as an ear piercing voice ripped through the silence like it had before.

_Kadaj!_

_Failure, failure, failure, FAILURE!_

Kadaj took a step forward, amazed that he could actually move this time. He had longed so much to see his mother, to feel like a loved child, that it sounded insane not to approach her and ask her all the questions he had. But life was no bed of roses, as Kadaj soon found out when his feet became the equivalent of twenty pound cement blocks. Frozen, he watched on helplessly.

The mist suddenly surrounded him and he was now seeing multiple forms behind the sheet of blue, confusing him to the point where he closed his eyes and tried to force himself awake.

_No use Kadaj!_

_Give it up Kadaj!_

"Mother!" Kadaj yelled out, opening his eyes. "Why are you doing this?" He spun around in a full circle, forgetting about how heavily his feet weighed him down, and waited patiently for an answer. Though the one he got, as well as multiple others, were not the ones he really wanted to hear.

_No use Kadaj!_

_Failure!_

_Give. It. Up._

_Kadaj!_

"No," the silver haired rebel argued, "I'm _not_ giving up. I have something more important to do than listen to you. I have to return to my niisan!"

_FAIL-

* * *

_

Violent coughing swarmed him like a storm. Kadaj felt his stomach scream in protest as he sat upwards, then felt a warm sensation as an unknown liquid came rushing up his throat. He tried to swallow it down, but it was useless.

From the far corner of the room, Cloud and Tifa were brought out of their heated debate about Kadaj's future when the silver haired rebel himself suddenly sprung awake. Tifa took a fighting pose, ready to defend the children who had just fallen asleep after much coaxing, while Cloud ran to the used mattress without a second thought that Sephiroth might have came back.

Kadaj coughed up his own blood, a small amount thankfully, and began to shake as the coughing that had taken over him from before got worse. Cloud helped him sit up properly as he assured Tifa that everything was fine. The fighter reluctantly lowered her fists and left the room after she told Cloud that Kadaj needed something to drink.

"N-n-niisan," Kadaj choked out, clenching his eyes at the new pain that had swarmed him since awaking.

"What happened?"

The silver haired rebel was thrown into another fit of coughing, unable to answer Cloud's question. He unclenched his eyes and looked up at the blond, though his vision was extremely blurry. All he could make out were two pure mako eyes and the outline of Cloud's hair. But it was better than not seeing anything at all.

Tifa arrived shortly after, a crystal glass in her hand filled three quarters full with shimmering water. She handed it to Cloud, who waited patiently until Kadaj was still enough to hold it, then handed it to him slowly.

The water felt like something truly magical in Kadaj's throat. He eagerly drank the liquid, relishing the crisp sensation that came with it. The glass was shaking badly in his hands now since he hadn't held anything in days and watched as the remaining water splashed from side to side. Some of it managed to splash over the rim and land on his pale hand, which he stared at blankly until Cloud snapped him out of it.

He lightly pried the glass away from Kadaj when he saw that the silver haired rebel was slowly falling back asleep. He helped Kadaj lay back down and took the covers that weren't sprayed with blood and placed them over the tiring body. In a minute or so afterwards, Kadaj had fallen into a light sleep.

"So what now?" Tifa asked, tasking the glass from Cloud and getting ready to put it downstairs.

Cloud looked down at Kadaj, then back at Tifa with a glint of determination in his eyes.

"I'm going to find a cure."


	15. O brother where art thou?

Author note: I decided to add another little evil twist to the story, as you shall soon find out what that is. I contemplated whether I should use this or not but why wouldn't I? Big thanks to those that reviewed as well, keep them coming!

* * *

**Abstract Silver**

**O brother where art thou?

* * *

**

The wind held a frigid essence to it as the unpredictable force of nature swept over the barren lands that were deprived of both luscious greens and life itself. Small pebbles were carried away on the strong breeze as if they weighed nothing and were forever forgotten to the earth below. The sun was trapped behind a mass of dark clouds, its iridescent glow tainted.

Nothing moved about, nothing chirped, nor sang a song filled with beautiful tones. Any clumps of grass that managed to grow in the earth that was sullied from the mako, were destined to lift off with the breeze and leave behind nothing. Nothing. There was nothing here anymore.

Years had passed since the use of mako had been put to a stop, but many feared that the earth was incapable of producing any life. But things looked as if they were gradually changing, a little, if nothing at all. They would just have to be patient.

Things were looking brighter for those who hoped for a better tomorrow. Shinra had ceased their reign of power and the mako had stopped. The fear of Sephiroth on the loose and angered with the world was no longer an issue and the latest problem of them all, the silver haired men, had vanished from the earth without a trace. But of course, things tended to twist the other way. It was how life liked to work.

As the clouds allowed the sun a momentary break, it's warm rays, overpowering the crisp feel of the wind, graced down upon two figures clad in all black. They remained upright, standing still, their feet near the edge of a cliff that overlooked Midgar and the land around it, one of many that surrounded the city.

Their bright colored eyes, shimmering with hatred and something deeper inside, watched like a hawk as Midgar slowly came to life. They could see many things from their location, but they couldn't see the one that they were looking for. And they knew, they knew that it was going to take a lot of effort and searching to find _him_.

The two figures, standing side by side, finally showed signs of movement. The more slender of the two, who stood with perfected posture, remained facing Midgar as the more strongly built one turned away. It was quite some time before they were looking in the same direction again.

It had taken many days to get to where they were. A hard task it was most likely not, but they had undergone some rather unfortunate injuries, thus making travel hard on their worn bodies. As soon as they were able to walk once more, the two had immediately went out on a search, but every one proved to be useless and a waste of time.

The chances of finding him were slim. Hell, they didn't even know if he was still alive for that matter. But they needed him.

They had to complete the reunion.

"Yazoo," the more built of the two spoke, his deep voice cracked and dry. "How much longer do you think?"

The silver haired man with piercing jade eyes turned to face the older of them both, his surprising silky hair covering his face for a seconds before it fell back into its rightful place above his shoulders. His pale skin was covered with scrapes and burn marks, which he preferred to keep hidden with his hair. A patch of singed skin was already beginning to scar along the side of his left cheek. There was a noticeable amount of silver locks missing, which caused the silver haired man to feel anger towards the world.

He went to talk, but his voice hitched in his throat, refusing to move due to a massive cut that crossed diagonally across his neck. He was sore from their last encounter with Cloud, which had to of been the worst yet, and wanted nothing more than to get revenge. But he had more important things to do.

Coughing lightly, Yazoo managed to force something out, though it sounded nothing like his original voice. "It is hard to say, but we need to find Kadaj first, that is our top priority."

They had spent all last night looking for their younger sibling. Yazoo didn't know what it was that made the connection between them all so strong, but he felt that they needed Kadaj in order to complete everything that had been planned for them.

He had stumbled upon Cloud while Loz searched the streets in the shadows of the night. He watched the blond, hoping that he would lead them to Kadaj, but when the blond had unexpectedly turned and looked to where he was standing upon a rooftop, he knew that they would have to call it a night yet again.

Shortly after, as Yazoo remembered clearly, they had returned back to the church in hopes that Kadaj would still be there, but they had found nothing but an abandoned building that carried the strong scent of flowers. They had stayed in the place, deciding that there was nowhere else to go, and remained there until the morning rays of the sun, before it had been clouded over, spilled onto their faces with a warm sensation.

Back to where Yazoo had finished talking, the silver haired man turned to the one who was obviously more built than him and cocked his head to the side, regretting it immediately as pain flushed his strength away, then gestured towards Midgar, a cold grin tugging on the corners of his mouth.

"Loz, we will start our search again, beginning with the old church. He can't be that far away, it would pain him too much."

Like Kadaj, both Yazoo and Loz suffered terribly from the Geostigma. Their bodies however, were more adapted to it and more developed than their younger sibling. Traces of the horrible disease snaked up the side of Yazoo's right leg, though it remained hidden under fading black leather pants. Loz on the other hand, had a growing spot for the disease on his left arm, which pained him when he tried to take part in anything that required lifting weight. It also prevented him from pushing large amounts of energy into the ground with a single punch and hoping that the force would strike his enemies in one shot.

"Let's go."

Yazoo turned around, silver hair whipping behind him where it moved in sync with his walking pace. Loz didn't spend any time hanging around and quickly matched his brother's speed, groaning inwardly when they came upon an annoying dilemma.

A cliff.

It took them several minutes to successfully climb down it, without injury but with extremely sore arm and leg muscles. They now faced the task of walking into Midgar unnoticed and completely blended in with those that inhabited it, for the moment being of course. Only until they found Kadaj and made away with him, leaving the city and concentrating on reuniting with their mother.

Once there, torn apart and collapsing buildings greeting them, Yazoo and Loz quickly made for the ancient church, constantly glancing around to see if they were being followed or watched by those wandering the streets. When the people began to become less and less common, the silver haired men were able to walk in the daylight, thankful for a break.

Finally, the cracked stone building which was still marveling in its own way, came into view among the debris of the ruined buildings surrounding it. The large wooden double doors greeted them within a few minutes of walking.

Yazoo pressed down upon the splintering surface of the left door, cringing at the noise of rusted hinges as they slowly moved to let the silver haired man in. Behind him, Loz followed, eying the church and remembering the first time he had been in here, which had started with a fight that had wounded his ego only slightly, but he had been the victor in the end.

The clouds outside pulled away from the sun once again, sending rays of warm sunlight pooling through the large hole in the roof of the church. Yazoo studied it, trying to come up with a logical explanation as to how the hole got there, but his mind was focused on other things, thus refusing to let him think about anything else.

Leaning against one of the stone pillars that held the roof up, Yazoo closed his eyes for a second while he crossed his arms over his chest and went into a world of deep thought. Loz settled for standing around, flexing his muscles and trying to think of what they would do next. A few moments later, Yazoo's piercing jade eyes flickered open and the coldness that he harbored within them returned once again.

"Loz," Yazoo's voice cut through the silence that had sprung up, "I want you to check the central part of Midgar, look everywhere and don't get caught. I'll search around here, then we should meet back up at this church when the sun is about to set."

The older man nodded his head, understanding everything and glad that they would finally get somewhere with their searching. However, he doubted that Kadaj would want to come back with them, especially since the events that had occurred before the white light enveloped them.

Yazoo pushed himself off the pillar, unfolding his arms and beginning to walk towards the large double doors. Loz brought forth his memory of how to get to the central part of Midgar and where it was best to stay hidden. He watched Yazoo leave, telling himself that his brother was probably thinking about what had happened last time and if Kadaj would come back.

But he wondered, was Kadaj even alive?

* * *

Warm sunlight made his pale skin dance as it refused to move, but it felt good and he didn't want it to leave. His mind was on the borderline of consciousness and sleep, though it refused to pick a side. He wanted to be awake again, to see the world and not the darkness that lingered in his mind. But if he were to slip into the light and be able to see people and eat and drink, he would have to face the pain again. He hated the pain.

As multiple thoughts swarmed inside of his mind, he wondered if he had been moved from his original position, since he could not recall a window being next to the mattress on which he slept. Then, suddenly, the sunlight was taken away from him when he heard someone close to the window. Whoever it was had deprived him of his warmth. Now sleep would be impossible.

Kadaj felt his muscles move, felt his hands flex, then felt the dreaded pain that the Geostigma carried as he drifted into consciousness. It was hard not to word how he felt, or scream for that matter, but he didn't want to show any weakness. At least his ego was returning.

The sound of footsteps on the floor beneath rang in his ears, but they quietened down as they reached his mattress. He heard the light shuffle of moving fabric as whoever it was crouched down beside him. Kadaj couldn't stand it anymore, not being able to see things and know things, so he slowly forced his eyes open, cringing at how bright the room was despite the curtains having been drawn across the window.

Kadaj squinted so that his eyes were nothing but slits on his face, surveying the room until he came upon a pair of pure mako eyes, startling him. He made to get up, but the pain denied him the luxury of doing so. The silver haired rebel only managed to make a grunting noise and pressed his head deeper into the pillow he was resting on, becoming sick to the stomach as he felt just how unclean his hair was.

"Niisan," Kadaj spoke, knowing that the person at the side of his bed was Cloud. "How many days have I been here for?"

"Too many to count."

Kadaj turned his head so that he got a full view of the room and suddenly realized that it wasn't the room he had been in before, but another. He was positioned in a bed fit for a child and one exactly identical to his was beside him. The room altogether held a happy feeling to it, lightening Kadaj's mood only slightly. But, as his eyes rested on the window with the curtains over it, the silver haired rebel remembered being in this room once before. Before all the pain had crippled him.

"Where's that woman?"

Cloud moved to the bed beside Kadaj and sat down upon it, the springs in the mattress making quiet _creaking_ noises as pressure was applied on them. The blond looked at Kadaj, his expression confused as to what it should be. "_Tifa_ is downstairs with the children, she should be up any second with some water and food."

"Oh."

Kadaj closed his jade eyes, feeling comforted as his mind was at ease. It was only him and his niisan now, but he had nothing to say, except, "Niisan, open the curtains."

Cloud scoffed, but sat up nonetheless, moving towards the window and pulled back on the light fabric. He felt the strong rays of the sun touch his arms and then knew why Kadaj wanted the curtains reopened. However, the blond was beginning to get irritated with the younger man.

"Kadaj, I'm not your brother." The silver haired rebel turned his head to face Cloud as the blond finished his statement, confused as to what exactly his niisan meant. "I'm Cloud, not 'niisan' or 'brother', just Cloud."

There was knock on the door before it opened, revealing Tifa, who carried a wooden tray with a glass of water on it and two bowls of soup. She walked over to the beds, placing the tray on a nightstand. Without a word, she passed a steaming bowl of soup and a spoon to Cloud, which the blond took politely and offered her his thanks.

"Just try and get better, I really don't like the concept of you traveling after so much injuries."

"I'll be fine."

Tifa didn't look convinced.

"Where exactly are you headed to anyways?"

Kadaj watched as they talked, his eyes now open and shifting from speaker to speaker. He let out a small sigh, one that nobody noticed, and bit back the pain as he listened to what Cloud planned on doing.

"A while ago," the blond began, "I heard that there was a plant growing near the Northern Crater, a plant that can cure anything. Any illness, any disease, any disability. But nobody has managed to reach it."

There was a moment of silence as Tifa thought hard on what was the right thing to say without upsetting anyone. Kadaj remained quiet, breathing softly so that he wouldn't interrupt anything, that and he was surprised by _Cloud_.

Did Cloud really intend on going on an expedition that could very well cost him his life? He knew the blond was daring for things like that, with no fear at all, but there was obviously a catch to it, right?

"Just," Tifa sighed, "Just try and be safe and don't get into anything that you won't be able to get out of. I know I can't stop you, but please, please be careful."

The bar owner left the room, leaving behind the tray and everything on it. Cloud felt a large amount of guilt for making his old friend disheartened, but Kadaj needed his help.

Grabbing the bowl of soup brought up for Kadaj, Cloud placed his own on the nightstand and moved off the bed, heading towards Kadaj. He dipped the stainless steel spoon in the thick liquid, then brought it out as he talked steadily to the younger man.

"Here, eat this, it'll make you better."

Kadaj allowed Cloud to feed him before he forced himself to sit upwards, forgetting that the Geostigma wasn't going to let him but he managed to anyways.

"You are an idiot," Kadaj said, making Cloud want to roll his eyes.

"Oh? And why is that?"

"Don't play dumb." Kadaj grabbed the bowl of soup from Cloud's hands and began eating eagerly, his stomach making noises as its hunger streak was finally being put to an end. Kadaj had forgotten that food even existed over the days he was forced into deep sleep and nightmares.

"I'm going _no matter what_."

Cloud stood up, handing Kadaj the glass of water Tifa had brought up, but was refused by a wave from the silver haired rebel. He was glad that Kadaj was at least eating, and had regained some of his arrogance back, but he couldn't decide if that was a good thing or not. After watching the younger man eat his meal, Cloud made for the door, only to be stopped as Kadaj called out his name.

"Cloud! Wait!"

The blond turned slowly around, mako eyes momentarily blinded from the brightness of the room behind him. "What?"

"I'm... sorry. Don't go, stay here."

"That's something I just can't do." Cloud smirked and grabbed the doorknob, opening the door. "Try not to get into too much trouble, alright?"

Kadaj went to protest, but the door had already closed. He sighed loudly, allowing himself to sink back into the soft mattress. The sun danced on his face once again, but this time he could savor it.

Downstairs, Cloud was saying his last good-byes to the children and Tifa, a bag full of things he would need to survive the journey slung over his left shoulder. Tifa was upset that he would be leaving once again and unsure if Kadaj would try anything or if Sephiroth decided to return once more. Cloud assured her plenty of times while the children bounced up and down, saying good-byes of their own.

After much fuss, Cloud was able to leave. He felt bad for Tifa, and even more so for Kadaj. But he needed to do this.

He had to.

* * *

Somewhere along the line, he knew that he had lost track of where he was. He had never been to this area before, and everything looked completely different compared to the other places, minus the rundown buildings and homeless people.

Loz stepped away from a small back alley, eyes scanning the area around him. It was then that something caught his attention.

A blond haired man exited a building with a sign reading: "7th Heaven" on it. Loz immediately recognized that person to be the one he had fought several battles against, none of which had turned out how they had planned.

It was just his luck too. That meant that Kadaj must be kept away somewhere inside of that building and he was the one to find their missing brother. It looked like they were going to get their reunion after all.

Smirking coldly to himself, Loz neared the bar once Cloud was out of sight, determined to get his brother back, even if it meant that lives were going to be lost.


	16. Trouble in heaven

Author note: Well, well, well, looks as if I managed to update again. Phew. Just a short little note this time, nothing major to comment on or complain about. Though I'd like to give a special thanks to those of you who are new reviewers among the others, it's nice to see that you've taken some interest in this story! And as for you casual reviewers, my biggest thanks to you for sticking along and not losing interest!

* * *

**Abstract Silver**

**Trouble in heaven

* * *

**

It felt as if a whole new blanket of worry had settled upon her shoulders.

With Cloud now gone, leaving not only her, but the children as well, alone with a complete stranger who was considered a maniac. She felt uneasy about the situation, trying hard not to get angry at the way Cloud was handling things. Everything could have been done differently, their lives would have been less harsh to stand than before. But it was as if luck was not on their side. Not at all.

Her eyes finally coming back into focus as she stared blankly at the closed door, Tifa forced her mind off of the "what ifs" and "what will happen nows" that constantly circulated inside of her head. The loud voices of the children rang in her ears as they played a card game on the floor, keeping an amazingly happy attitude.

Tifa folded her arms against her chest, turning to face the children, and couldn't help herself but smile at the look on Marlene's face. The small girl held four cards in front of her face. Her eyebrows were furrowed and the look of concentration etched into her features was more than fit for a picture perfect moment. When Denzel asked her for a queen, giving Tifa the hint that they were playing 'Go Fish', Marlene let out a frustrated growl and handed her friend the card he had asked for.

The children were going to miss Cloud without a doubt. Tifa was against the idea of him traveling after the injuries he had sustained, but going to Northern Crater was completely absurd. It was dangerous there and so isolated that she wouldn't know what was happening to him.

"Do you have a nine?" Denzel asked, glancing down at his cards then back up to Marlene.

Tifa made for the marble counter top, intent on cooking the children something for dinner. They hadn't eaten much at all lately, especially since the return of Cloud and his new discovery. She chuckled to herself, brushing dark strands of hair away from her face.

"Go fish."

Denzel groaned and reached for the messy deck of cards that stood between Marlene and himself. When he flipped the laminated cardboard over, eyes scanning over the number, he was quite pleased to find that he had one to pair it with. Now it was Marlene's turn to go.

"Do you have a seven?"

"Aw." Denzel grabbed the top of a card that had the number seven on it and tossed it over to Marlene, but despite the fact that the young girl had more pairs than him, he was losing quite a large amount of cards.

It was going to be a close call on who would win.

"Denzel, do you have a five?" Marlene asked, taking another turn.

"Nope. Go fi-"

There was a loud _SLAM_ as the door burst open. The children, wide eyed in surprise, screamed aloud and immediately looked frantically around for Tifa. The fist fighter came rushing over, shielding the children as a scratchy, cruel laugh rang out loudly.

Marlene, recognizing the tall man immediately, clutched onto Tifa like a life line, burying her face away from the sight of his cold mako eyes. Denzel held a tight grasp on Marlene, afraid to let go, terrified that Cloud wasn't there to protect them all.

Tifa stood tall, refusing to give in to whatever it was that he wanted. As he slowly advanced, leather boots making loud noises as they treaded over the floor, Tifa reached behind her, temporarily moving Marlene's hand away, and pulled at her fighting gloves.

She could tell from the look on his face that he had been through some rather large fights. On the right side of his face several burn marks snaked across the skin and ended just before his cheekbone. His hair was frazzled, untidied and dirty looking. There were multiple rips in his leather outfit, many showing charred or blood caked skin. He wouldn't be much of a challenge to fight this time. Plus, he was also suffering from a lack of a decent weapon.

"Where's Kadaj?" A gruff voice spoke outwards.

"Who is Kadaj?" Tifa lied. She had to. The children needed to be safe and she couldn't let anything happen to the person Cloud was trying to save.

Loz snickered, raising his arms in a battle stance. His mako eyes glowed with cruelty as he ran towards Tifa, forgetting the pain that threatened to cripple him.

"Denzel, Marlene, go upstairs. Quickly!"

Tifa moved to the side, bringing up her arm and blocking an attack made by Loz. She used perfected speed and lashed out, striking him in the stomach, sending the intruder flying across the bar area. There was a loud _crack_ as Loz landed on a wooden table, breaking it in two.

Looking around and making sure that the children were nowhere near the danger, Tifa hoped that something came up and Cloud would return, if only for a few seconds. Her desperate wishing was smashed into pieces when she heard Loz stand back up, brushing himself off as an irritated look passed over his features.

"What are you trying to defend?" The intruding man bit out, rushing towards Tifa with surprising speed.

_The children_, Tifa thought to herself, dodging and retaliating the attack Loz had intended. _I have to protect the children.

* * *

_

It was silent and boring laying down in a room by himself, incapable of moving and sick of it. He hated being bored, it had to be one of the most irritating things in the world. There was nothing to comment on, nothing to do, nothing to read, and nobody to talk to or control.

Horrible.

He had tried to stare out the window, but it was a rather hard task to accomplish when the Geostigma was eating away at his skin. Next, he had tried counting the patterns that were throughout the room, but that had been turned down after a whole ten minutes.

Then, just as Kadaj thought that he was about to die of boredom, loud crashing noises came from downstairs, followed by the screaming of those annoying children. It had caught his attention, mostly because it was something different, so it was only in his best interest to go see what was happening. Even if it did hurt.

Sliding the layers of blankets off his body, Kadaj placed himself in a comfortable position. Using his arms, the silver haired rebel pushed himself upwards and desperately grabbed for something to support his shaking body, discovering that the Geostigma didn't like him using his arms very much.

The nightstand was right beside him, so, forcing his arms to move, Kadaj grasped tightly onto the polished wooden surface. It would have been a simple task to keep himself upright, had the tray of empty soup bowls and a glass of water not been there.

Kadaj felt his hand move off the nightstand due to the slippery surface of the tray. His entire body seemed to go with it, causing him to fall forwards and meet the ground with a large _thud_. If he thought he was in pain before, then he had been sadly mistaken.

"This is just _wonderful_," Kadaj breathed out heavily, feeling bruises forming on his stomach already. At least he hadn't landed on his ribs again. Who knew how many of those would be missing by now.

Luckily, the soup bowls or the glass cup hadn't fallen on him. Kadaj doubted that he really needed any more pain. But before he could do anything, the sound of hurried footsteps could be felt through his face, which was plastered to the floor.

The door burst open as the two children entered the room, breathing heavily. They failed to notice the silver haired rebel sprawled across the floor, but that was only because they were too scared to realize anything else. That was, until Kadaj spoke up.

"Hey."

Denzel and Marlene immediately set their wide eyes on Kadaj. It didn't help that they were stuck in the same room as the person who had kidnapped them. Neither of the children possessed the knowledge that Kadaj was staying at the bar, causing them to jump to conclusions and panic.

They had been caught!

Kadaj stared at them blankly, unimpressed by their overall reaction. He tried to lift himself up, only managing to turn his body a different way, giving him a new view instead of the floor.

"Well don't just stand there, help me up."

The children refused to move, keeping their backs flat against the door, eyes continuing to remain wide with shock and terror. This, however, only angered the silver haired rebel. He had enough of them and their petty emotions.

"Help me up!" He yelled as loud as he could, startling the children but forcing them into action nonetheless.

* * *

Loz aimed another attack towards Tifa, failing once again to cause any damage. Several chairs had been broken, three tables in total, and there were now many dents and holes in the wall to give the bar a whole new look. And it looked pretty bad.

Suddenly, the intruding man stopped his attacks, listening hard as the voice of Kadaj carried downwards. He looked at Tifa shortly after, smirking coldly again, and rushed for the stairs, only to be blocked by the fist fighter.

"So, you do have him here, don't you?"

Tifa narrowed her eyes slightly, mentally cursing herself for allowing the intruding man so close to the children. She held her fists out in front of her face, concentrating on the battle at hand. She recalled all her training and calmed herself down.

He wasn't going anywhere.

Loz took the first move, darting to the side in hopes of distracting Tifa, but the fist fighter was so concentrated that she was having no problems at all predicting his moves. Loz lashed outwards with his fists, then quickly pulled them back and replaced their position with his leg, intent on landing a powerful attack on Tifa's head.

The training had been worth it. Using her eyes to depict everything, Tifa watched as Loz aimed a kick towards her and merely moved her head to the side, causing Loz to get his boot stuck in the wall. Though he had managed to pull it out quickly, he wasn't quick enough to dodge a pointblank attack from Tifa.

The pain grew incredibly fast, but Loz ignored it, knowing that he would pay for doing that in the end, but he had to get Kadaj. So, as Tifa's fist came flying towards his face, Loz opened his hand and grabbed her clenched fist, smirking at the small amount of shock that shimmered through her eyes.

Using all the strength he thought he had left, Loz applied a great amount of pressure onto Tifa's fist, then swung his arm out to the left, letting go of the fist as Tifa went flying. He heard her land violently against the wall and chuckled in a cruel manner, strolling casually towards the set of stairs before him.

* * *

Kadaj was standing heavily against the far wall of the children's bedroom, surprised and quite pleased with himself that he was able to stand once again. It hurt like hell, but it was a million times better than laying in bed all day without a thing to do.

The children refused to say anything and had settled down on the bed beside the one Kadaj had been resting in before. Denzel tried to silently calm Marlene down several times until they both had just went completely still, looking towards the door with fright at the sounds coming from downstairs. They hoped that Tifa was winning, trying hard to make the bad man go away, but when his evil laugh echoed up the stairwell, they feared for the worst.

And the only one 'able' to protect them in the room was Kadaj.

Before the silver haired rebel knew what was going on, the children threw themselves behind the bed he had claimed and tried hiding themselves. Kadaj only rolled his eyes at their childish ways, then froze when the door opened, revealing someone very, _very_ unexpected.

"Brother," Kadaj said in a bored tone, watching him through half lidded eyes.

"Come now Kadaj, we have to meet Yazoo."

"I don't think that I want to at this moment."

"But-"

"_No._"

Kadaj crossed his arms and sighed heavily, pressing his back against the wall and praying to whatever God there was that he wouldn't slip and fall again. He really didn't want to go through with everything again, he couldn't anymore.

Totally useless.

"I just," Kadaj thought things through, carefully calculating what he was going to say next. There were other things that needed to be done first and with the nightmares he had been having about mother and Sephiroth, Kadaj wasn't too sure he wanted to meet either of them. "I don't want the reunion."

Loz seemed to go pale. More pale than he had already been.

"That's not-"

Before the intruding man could speak anymore, something collided with the back of his head from behind. The children screamed, so confused at what was happening that they couldn't tell if they were being attacked or not. Kadaj uncrossed his arms and looked in the doorway, spotting Loz collapsed in a heap on the floor.

Standing in the doorway, breathing heavily, Tifa stood with a cast iron frying pan clutched in her right hand. Her shoulders shook with each breath she took, then she dropped the heavy cooking utensil, creating a loud _bang_ when it made a large indent in the floor, as the children came rushing towards her.

Having gotten up from being thrown into the wall, Tifa knew she wouldn't have the proper space to use her fists. Improvising had come into mind. In a hurry, Tifa had rummaged through the kitchen, trying to look for something strong enough to knock a man out, but not to make him bleed in front of small human beings. The heavy weighted frying pan had been her first choice.

As Marlene clutched onto her arm, Tifa spared a glance towards Kadaj, who looked away and out the window.

Cloud had to return soon, or else he didn't think he was going to make it.


	17. Neopolitan

Author note: I have returned! So I made some calculations regarding how many chapters were left for this story, and I've gotten the result of two or three. Sadly, that means Abstract Silver will be ending soon, but I'd like to reach a mark of one hundred reviews before vanishing off into the world of FanFiction once more. Now, before random things are hurled at me, I must say that this story has to be my absolute most favorite one to write because one, the reviews are amazing and fun to read, and two, I don't think I've ever written so much for this website before. I'll cut things short by giving out yet again another dish of thanks to the reviewers and the readers. Awesome, awesome, awesome, all of you.

* * *

**Abstract Silver**

**Neopolitan

* * *

**

The temperature was dropping ever so slightly, a simple hint that the day was finally coming to an end. The sun, a bright glowing orb covered with many dull clouds, slowly began to lower itself, depriving Midgar of the warmth and light that the people inhabiting it desired so much.

People remained as they were, walking around the dirty streets, some talking to others while those less willing to socialize kept to themselves. Small children bounced about, the fear of the Geostigma now long forgotten in their simple minds. Soon enough, they were ushered into buildings by their parents, friends, or guardians.

Life in Midgar began to dim like a dying fire. Many retreated to their homes, whilst others gathered around burning barrels of fire, trying to keep themselves warm against the ever growing cold of the night. The muffled chatter of people vanished all together, giving Midgar a peaceful break as a comfortable silence settled down upon it.

Streets nearly empty, all signs of life scarce, Midgar was ready to face the darkness once again.

The silence, as strong as it may be, was quietly broken by the sound of light footfalls on the cold cement ground. They echoed all around an abandoned alley, the noise of water splashing appeared when the lone figure stepped in one of many puddles that still littered the ground of Midgar.

A gentle breeze sprang to life, lightly brushing over anything in its path like fresh spring water over smooth rocks. The figure, dressed in dark and seemingly perfect attire for the time of night, turned a sharp corner, the ends of it's coat making flapping noises in the breeze.

This stretch of the alley was covered with small puddles of water. As the moon was allowed a break when the thick storm clouds deteriorated, the strong glow coming off of it created a crystal clear reflection in many of the puddles. With the breeze getting stronger the reflection began to waver, then completely shattered when a leather boot crashed into the water.

The alley was getting darker, making it hard to see. Thankfully, the moon was bright, making it possible to see most of what stood in it's way. The icy rays from the crystalline orb above reflected down upon a pair of eyes that were just as cold as the night itself.

A group of people, huddled around a flaming barrel, looked in the direction of the shadowed figure and went to make space around the flames, but stopped abruptly. Had they not caught sight of it's glowing eyes, eyes that signified an encounter with mako, they would have mistaken the shadowed figure as just another unemployed homeless person.

The person only made a quiet grunt as it passed the group of people who were now watching in morbid curiosity. When they could no longer be seen, the figure turned down another stretch of an abandoned alleyway and glanced around, eyes narrowing in frustration.

_Where was he?_

They were supposed to have met almost a full hour ago, back at the ancient church. Surely his brother wasn't _that_ confused as to where he was. If there was no sign of him for another thirty minutes, he would have to leave him on his own for the night.

Brushing a piece of silver hair away from his face, Yazoo studied the dark narrow space before him. It was the last alley around, every other one had been searched, some more than once. The breeze was growing stronger and stronger and Yazoo could feel a storm brewing.

Then, as if fate had answered his wishes to find his brother and make for the safety of the church, Yazoo could hear someone groaning up ahead. Narrowing his eyes and preparing himself to fight if he had to, the silver haired man slowly advanced.

The groaning noises came from a crumpled figure slouched against a brick wall. As Yazoo came closer, he could see that whoever it was had a hand placed on their head and was wobbling back and forth. There was trash thrown about on the ground around the person, all of it coming from the garbage can that the person had been thrown into.

"My head," the person groaned.

Yazoo calmed himself upon recognizing the voice that belonged to the obviously injured person. He wondered what his brother had done this time, especially since he was sitting in a garbage can with a welt on his head that was so big it was visible even at night.

"Loz, what trouble have you gotten into now?"

Loz didn't seem to notice that Yazoo was talking to him and continued to hold his head as it pulsed with pain. Several minutes later, he lowered his hands and turned towards his brother, squinting his eyes and seeing double.

"Yazoo?"

The silver haired man crossed his arms against his chest and moved over to the wall opposite of Loz and leaned against it, his silvery hair covering his face temporarily. He let out a frustrated sigh as he tilted his head upwards, watching thick storm clouds cover the moon once again.

"Where have you been? We were supposed to meet over an hour ago."

"I found Kadaj."

Yazoo immediately lost all frustration that had been pent up inside from Loz vanishing. He uncrossed his arms and pushed his silvery hair behind his ears.

"You found Kadaj? Well, where is he now?"

Loz went back to holding his wound, wincing when he sent a wave of throbbing pain shooting throughout his swollen head. He seemed to think of where Kadaj had been, but his mind was too fuzzy at the moment for him to recall all the details clearly.

"He ..uh ... was at this one place, a bar I think."

"A bar? That's impossible."

Loz slammed his eyes shut, gritting his teeth in frustration. He had to remember. He _had_ to. However, every time he tried the lump on his head would act up, sending nothing but blank memories to his brain. He tried even harder this time.

Slowly, a picture came into mind, moving along and without sound. He could see Kadaj leaning against the wall of the bar, or whatever building he had been in. His blurry memory suddenly gave him some audio, and at the exact moment Kadaj announced that he no longer wanted the reunion.

But... But how was that possible?

He knew that Yazoo would either lash out at him for giving him the news, or Kadaj was going to be in trouble. _Big_ trouble. So, weighing his decisions out, Loz decided that he would have to do the only thing that Yazoo wanted to hear. He was going to to tell him that Kadaj wanted the reunion still. He was going to lie.

"Kadaj talked about the reunion again, Yazoo."

"Oh? And what of it?"

"He said..." Loz let go of his head, looking up at Yazoo's glowing eyes and quickly formulated a lie that would be both convincing and undetected. "He said that in order for the reunion to take place..." The injured silver haired man recalled Kadaj refusing to go, and he knew why. It was all Cloud's fault. "We have to eliminate all problems, starting with Cloud." Loz mentally gave himself a reward for being so cunning. "And everything must be done as soon as possible."

Yazoo seemed to think about it. If he recalled correctly, Kadaj had stopped him from attacking Cloud. Perhaps he had changed his mind and was ready to start over. Now, they needed to find the blond nuisance and get rid of him quickly. Just their luck that Yazoo knew exactly where Cloud was headed.

Upon passing one of many groups of people huddled around a barrel of flames, Yazoo had briefly heard someone talking about a man called Strife heading for the Northern Crater and that he was out of his mind. Yazoo had found this as a surprise, but hadn't thought much about it.

"We must be quick," Yazoo stated. He walked closer to Loz and told him to get up.

When the injured man had finally managed to stand upright, he couldn't help but sway from side to side as if he was boneless. Yazoo told him about Cloud's location, and that it would be impossible for them to climb up there on foot, especially in their current condition.

"But how are we going to get there if we can't walk?" Loz asked, leaning over too far and almost falling into the puddle ridden ground below him.

Yazoo seemed to go into a deep concentration, pacing silently. The sounds of splashing water was the only thing that could be heard above the periodic gusts of wind. After several minutes of thinking, Yazoo had come up with an idea, the only one that would work if everything went according to plan.

"Let's see if President Shinra will be kind enough to lend us one of his helicopters." Yazoo laughed at the odds of that happening. "Come on now, we must go undetected."

* * *

Strong winds billowed, howling as they rippled over everything. A massive electrical storm was brewing above, one that was not going to be all that pretty. The cold temperatures of the night and of the place itself seemed to drop away and were replaced with thick humidity.

Nobody had visited this place since the Turks had, in search of Jenova. It was as lifeless as a corpse, completely quiet except for the strong winds. Not a blade of grass grew here, not a blade of grass dared. The only characteristics here were rugged rocks and an eerie feeling that came with them.

Now, climbing among those rocks in pursuit of a rumored healing plant, Cloud fought for some decent footing. With every passing second the air seemed to get thicker and thicker, but the blond assumed that it was only the elevation level causing that to happen.

He tried to ignore the fact that a massive storm was about reek havoc upon the land below. It was hard to, but he had to keep his mind centered on getting that plant or else Cloud feared that he may have to stop. There was no time for stopping now.

A strong breeze came up, threatening to pull Cloud off a large rock that he had been climbing. Clinging on to the cold face of it, the blond calculated what he next move would be. He could either climb some more, see where he ended up, or wait until the storm had passed.

The fact that someone's life would be ended if he stalled too much drove him towards looking some more. It was quite hard to see, but Cloud was managing just fine with a gas lamp. It didn't cover that much land and only gave him enough light to see in front of him for several feet, but it was better than wandering around like a blind man.

Reaching for a ledge above him, Cloud placed the lamp in his left hand and pulled himself up with his right. As his fingers dug into the rock, trying to grip onto it, Cloud felt the rock begin to break. He quickly let go, landing roughly on the ledge he had been standing on before.

There was a light rumbling noise, something Cloud assumed to only be thunder. Then, before he had a chance to react, the ledge gave away, taking the blond with it.

Using reflexes that had been perfected over the years, Cloud grabbed onto a piece of the ledge that was still remaining and hoped that it was strong enough to hold his weight. He quickly used his mouth to hold on to the handle of the lamp and placed his other hand on the ledge as well.

The sound of rocks breaking against other rocks could be heard from below. Cloud really didn't want to end up like them so, using a small amount of strength, the blond hoisted himself up and onto the remaining part of the ledge.

Cloud looked towards the rock jutting out above him and decided that simply jumping up there would save him from another fall. Within a few seconds the blond was climbing up another stretch of tall rocks and boulders, always on the lookout for the plant.

He had never been told whether the thing was still alive or just a shriveled piece of vegetation. If it was surviving the strange temperatures and weather that the Northern Crater had, then Cloud still had a chance of finding it. He knew that the plant was somewhere near the highest piece of rock jutting outwards, but he hadn't reached a place that would give him a full view of the area.

There was a bright flash of lightning from above, followed by another strong gust of wind. As long as it didn't start raining, Cloud could manage just fine, but there was still the chance that he could get struck by lighting. Frankly, Cloud didn't care and took the chance of that happening without a second thought.

Another flash of lightning.

_Cloud..._

Cloud stopped his climbing and looking around, trying to determine if he had been hearing things or not. It was probably the wind anyways. By now it was slowly beginning to die down, but still strong enough to pry him away from his current position.

_Cloud..._

The voice was real, echoing around inside of his mind. Cloud shook his head, locks of golden hair becoming messed up. He looked around, up at the sky, to his left and to his right, but couldn't see anything.

_Cloud..._

Another flash of lightning, this time closer.

_Cloud..._

_Cloud..._

"Shut up!"

The blond slammed his eyes shut tightly and shook his head one last time. This was only a distraction, something to stop him from reaching the plant. Hoping that he wasn't going crazy, Cloud opened his pure mako eyes and glanced downwards and was suddenly enveloped in a mass of whispers.

This had to be the work of Jenova.

Cloud bit down on the handle of the lamp, realizing that he still had it in his mouth. He forced himself to turn around and began to climb once again, blocking the whispers from entering his mind. After a few more ledges and climbing a few more rocks, Cloud had finally come across a flat surface.

Finally he would be able to rest.

Another flash of lightning came from above.

Cloud looked around and saw nothing that would pose any threat to him. He unslung the bag from his shoulders that carried some healing items and several things to eat. Also hidden inside was a makeshift weapon just in case he was attacked by something out of the unknown.

Another flash of lighting.

Something shone as the lightning forked across the sky. Cloud looked ahead of him, spotting something shaped weird. When the lightning acted up again, the blond could clearly see that it was a helicopter. And on that helicopter was the Shinra logo.

Rufus was after him again.

As the lightning flashed again, Cloud could see that there were two figures standing before it, each holding some form of a weapon. They didn't resemble Reno or Rude, or any of the Turks for that matter, not even Rufus himself.

Everything was quite puzzling. Why was Shinra here anyways? What did they want with him now? And who were these people?

The lightning forked throughout the clouds above. The blond used this to his advantage and squinted his eyes, trying hard to see who it was. Then something caught his attention. The two figures sported silvery hair and immediately Cloud knew who it was.

Yazoo smirked as he watched Cloud withdraw his sword. He had used the storm as a cover up and it had worked perfectly. They had stolen the helicopter from Shinra without much trouble, it was only when they were flying that they were discovered.

To his left, Loz stood, still holding his head in pain. Clutched in his hand was a thin katana, one that they had stolen from a small supply of weapons. Yazoo was surprised to have found a set of handguns and knew that he would be using them soon enough.

Both sides, good and evil, waited for another fight to ensue. Yazoo felt the cold smirk on his lips grow as the lightning flashed again.

He was going to get rid of Cloud once and for all.


	18. Sharp cut solutions

Author note: Wow! One hundred reviews! Thanks everybody! Though I'd like to give you a present of some sort for all the wonderful support and everything, I find that hard to do by saying that this is the second last chapter of Abstract Silver. So, because everyone who has read and reviewed this story has been so awesome, I'd like to dedicate this chapter to all of ya! Thanks a bunch!

* * *

**Abstract Silver**

**Sharp-cut solutions

* * *

**

The low rumble of thunder vibrated the walls and caused them to shake momentarily. The night, which should have been calm and peaceful, was now a war zone of colliding storm clouds and brilliant sparks of lightning that forked through the sky in magnificent shades of white and the odd time, purple.

The humidity had risen drastically over the past hour and Midgar was suffering dearly from it. Many residents wandered around, looking for somewhere to cool off and those that had surrounded burning barrels of fire abandoned their place around the flames to search for shelter against the hellish weather.

With the thunder rolling constantly and the lightning flashing so dangerously close to the healing city, the residents of Midgar feared the intensity of the storm and tried as quickly as possible to find cover. This storm was going to be one to talk about for years to come.

A flash of lightning, tainted with a deep purple, shot across the sky, illuminating the outline of Seventh Heaven. All the lights had been turned off and the only thing to indicate that there was life inside of the bar was a dim candlelight coming from the room that Kadaj occupied at the moment.

The silver haired rebel turned to his side, trying to get a better view of the raging world outside. He raised a shaky hand to his brow and wiped the cold sweat off that had gathered there. It wasn't the humidity he blamed for such an uncomfortable feeling, but the high fever he was currently experiencing.

The room, all dark except for the burning candle beside him, was completely silent. The building itself was, but Kadaj felt that the silence in here was much thicker and less bearable. His ears rung in high pitched tones, both annoying him and giving him a tremendous headache.

Trying hard to ignore his worsening condition, Kadaj drifted into a rare state of peacefulness. His jade eyes shone brightly in the darkness as another flash of lightning tore through the sky. His thoughts began to wander, the first time since he had laid down, and closed his eyes at the thought of Cloud out in the storm.

There was no denying it. The storm was indeed coming from Northern Crater and Kadaj hated that fact with all his being. He hadn't heard of anyone ever surviving up there, let alone reach it without being in a helicopter or some means of aerial flight.

Rumbling from afar, the thunder made Kadaj slowly flutter his eyes open, thick eyelashes brushing over his pale skin. The storm was going to be dangerous for Cloud, but he knew there was another hazard for him to worry about.

He had given himself away when Loz came here. Of course Kadaj was oblivious to the fact that Loz was inside the building and fighting with that woman Tifa, but he should have noticed that something was wrong from all the commotion.

The silver haired rebel didn't have to think it over twice. His brothers were going to want answers or want Cloud dead and they were going to hunt the blond man down. Kadaj didn't fancy that idea, but it was the cold truth and it was troublesome as well.

"_Brother."_

"_Come now Kadaj, we have to meet Yazoo."_

"_I don't think that I want to at this moment."_

"_But-"_

Words echoed through his head with volumes so loud that Kadaj felt that they would explode his eardrums. When peace had somewhat returned, the silver haired rebel let out an annoyed sigh and thought about the events that had taken place over such a short amount of time.

If he had looked upon this in the past, Kadaj would have laughed at himself and ignored everything. But things had changed. Greatly. He never imagined things would turn out like this, never. He had lived for the reunion and for their mother, but to find out that the reunion wasn't what he thought it to be and his mother nothing but a horrible creature, Kadaj had felt the changing take place.

And what a change it was.

"_I don't want the reunion..."_

Unlike the previous ones, a violent flash of lightning sparked just outside of the building. Kadaj shut his eyes at the intensity of the brightness and rolled over on his side so that his back was now facing the window. He was forced to bite his tongue when a wave of pain rushed over him like it had when the Geostigma had been at its worst.

Before, Kadaj figured, he probably would have thought the pain as part of the reunion and lived with it. But the Geostigma was a disease that Kadaj knew would eventually eat him alive. There wasn't much time left now and if Cloud didn't hurry, he was going to slip into the darkness of eternal rest.

From behind came a noise.

_Knock._

_Knock._

_Splash._

The silver haired rebel slowly turned back to his original position, gritting his teeth together and wishing the terrible disease would magically vanish into thin air. Once Kadaj was facing the window again, he squinted his eyes, trying hard to see what was causing the noise and suddenly found his answer when another bolt of lightning flashed overhead.

It was rain.

Watching the small droplets of water slide down the glass, Kadaj wondered if his brothers would have enough strength to withstand it.

* * *

The storm was growing stronger with every passing second. The winds had picked up again and Cloud could taste the bitter humidity. But there was something else he could sense, something that he knew the two silver haired men in front of him would despise.

There was rain abound. And it would be here soon.

A strong gust of wind blew the golden locks of hair away from his face, giving him a full view of Yazoo and Loz, their weapons ready to be used at any time. But Cloud could also see that they were waiting and injured from the battle he had with them previously. It was his chance to strike them down and continue with his search for the healing plant.

Sword outstretched before him, Cloud narrowed his eyes and ran for the silver haired men, his heart pumping energy throughout his body.

Yazoo watched as the blond neared. The smirk grew on his lips and his gleaming white teeth could be seen as another bright flash of lightning ripped through the sky. If Cloud really thought that he was capable of killing both Loz and himself, then the blond was out of his mind.

"Loz!" the devious man yelled over the wind, "I want you to get him from behind!"

As Cloud advanced, his sword getting dangerously close to their position, Yazoo and Loz departed and went at the blond from different sides. Loz moved around Cloud and let his brother do most of the battling with Cloud. His time of action would come soon enough.

Rapidly pulling the triggers of his new guns, Yazoo shot for Cloud with insanity shinning brightly in his glowing jade eyes. He moved with a much quicker speed than even the silver haired man himself thought possible and constantly forced Cloud to move out of his line of fire.

The blond dodged a bullet that had come dangerously close to his stomach and swung his sword outwards, blocking another bullet and reflecting it back at Yazoo. He was determined to finish the devious man off once and for all and knew Yazoo had the same thing in mind for him.

Blocking more bullets and managing to dodge them without injury, Cloud advanced closer to Yazoo. The silver haired man began to take multiple steps backwards, knowing fully that the blond wasn't no rookie when it came to wielding a sword.

From behind the fighting men, Loz gripped the handle of his flimsy katana and watched like a hawk, waiting for the perfect time to strike. It was quite obvious that Yazoo was having problems with Cloud and he knew that his timing would have to be quick.

Another brilliant flash of lightning flickered from above. Cloud came close to Yazoo and swung at him with his sword, grinding his teeth together when the silver haired man blocked his attack by using his guns as a makeshift shield.

Loz took a few steps forward and then held his katana in his left hand, running towards the two fighting men. He was going to cut down Cloud and then they would be able to exterminate him without any problems at all.

Or at least he hoped.

Cloud swung at Yazoo once more, only to be shot at by an array of bullets. The devious man jumped backwards, landing in front of the helicopter, and quickly reloaded his twin guns. Then, before Cloud could do anything, Yazoo yelled out his signal to Loz.

The blond placed his sword in front of him and as lightning flashed in the sky again, he saw a shadowy figure behind him, slowly raising what was most likely a katana.

Before Loz could slice Cloud's back open as he had intended, the blond reached behind with incredible speed and then spun around. The item he had grabbed, which had been one of many add-ons for his sword, was in his hand one second and flying towards Loz the next.

Surprised, Loz was sure that his life was about to end soon. Thankfully his reflexes were still working and the silver haired man threw himself to the ground. But he wasn't quick enough.

The sharp piece of sword may have missed his head, but it hadn't missed his arm.

Loz screamed out in pain, falling to the ground and clutching his arm while blood began to seep out from his wounded limb. He expected Cloud to finish him off right there and then, but the blond simply turned around, just in time to block another array of bullets from Yazoo.

The devious man could not help but narrow his eyes and grit his teeth in frustration. It shouldn't have taken them this long to kill a single man. A man who was surely just as tired and weak as Yazoo knew both Loz and himself were now.

This time, instead of staying at a standstill and shooting at Cloud, Yazoo jumped towards the blond as he came running and managed to soar over Cloud, guns pointed down. His pale index fingers pressed eagerly down upon the triggers of the twin guns.

Cloud quickly brought his sword upwards and used it as protection against the seemingly never ending supply of bullets. His mind raced with what to do, trying hard not to think about getting to the plant and more so to end the fight as quickly as possible.

Yazoo landed behind the blond man, only to have a large sword swung dangerously close to him. The devious man simply leaped upwards, landing on the sword for an instant and used it to pivot himself into the air once again.

"We'll get our reunion!" Yazoo yelled above the wind, his voice portraying neither the frustration he felt or any emotion at all. It was completely vacant.

A large flash of lightning came from directly above them this time. Cloud was sure that he was going to be electrocuted, but it never happened. Yazoo on the other hand, ignored the threatening danger and came rushing towards the blond with his eyes narrowed into small slits.

Away from the fight, still laying on his back and wincing at the new pain that flowed through his body, Loz slowly opened his eyes, which he had closed so he wouldn't be able to see the blood and was beginning to see double all over again.

He wasn't going to get anywhere with a sword, or part of it, wedged into his arm. So, raising his uninjured arm and placing a hand around the edge of sword piece, Loz pulled back and immediately let go as if the metal was made out of acid.

The injured man closed his eyes, clenched his teeth together so tight that it hurt and grasped onto the sword once again. His arm was so numb from the pain that it was hard to feel anything except the sensation of a hard object being pulled from his bone and muscle tissue.

Letting out a long kept breath, Loz tossed the sword piece to the side and lay completely flat on his back, opening his eyes and studying the clouds overhead. When he felt like he had enough strength to help Yazoo out with fighting Cloud, Loz was suddenly hit with something that he feared.

Rain.

Ignoring the thick smell of rain and the fact that the brothers were doomed, Cloud dodged yet another bullet from Yazoo. Then, as the most brilliant flash of lightning yet criss-crossed in the sky, Cloud felt a presence that he thought had once left the ancient church.

_Aeris ..._

Yazoo felt the first few raindrops singe his skin, burning it and making it hurt. But, as Cloud stared up at the sky, Yazoo had found his perfect opportunity to strike.

Cloud felt at peace, but he knew that there was still a fight to be fought and a life to be saved as well. As he went to try and kill the devious man once more, the unmistakable sound of gunfire could be heard, even over the wind.

A burning sensation that was followed by a large amount of pain shot through his lower right leg. It wasn't until warm liquid pooled over and onto his shin that Cloud realized he had been shot. Cursing himself for being caught off guard, the blond turned towards the place that Yazoo stood, only to find that the devious man was no longer there.

"Niisan," a emotionless voice came from behind.

Cloud spun around, wincing at the pain in his leg, only to be kicked to the ground forcefully by Yazoo. The silver haired man snickered and brought one of his guns into view and aimed it directly into Cloud's face.

"I think it's time for you to die now."

Slowly raising his index finger to the trigger, Yazoo failed to notice that the rain had gotten worse and that he was beginning to glow an unnatural color of green.

"Yazoo!" Loz cried out from somewhere. "The rain is getting-"

A large flash of lightning cut the injured man off and followed by it was the deafening sound of a downpour. It swept over the three men, drenching them from head to toe in water.

The gun Yazoo had been holding slipped from his hand and fell weightlessly onto Cloud's face. The blond backed himself up, barely missing the falling body of the devious man, who was now gripping onto life with little strength.

Loz had went completely quiet and now Yazoo lay sprawled out on the soaked ground. Then, just as brilliant as the lightning, their now lifeless bodies were glowing a bright green and were then carried away in the gusting wind, the only traces of their existance small green, glowing orbs that swirled around Cloud.

As each one finally lost their light, the blond slowly raised himself upwards, his injured leg crying out in pain. Cloud looked up at the sky, rain drenching his hair. Then, just as fast as the downpour had occurred, it left and with it the storm as well.

Northern Crater and the area surrounding it was now at peace.

Cloud tore his gaze from the clear night sky and looked around for his missing sword piece. As he wandered around, the light from the moon allowing him to see, the blond stumbled upon something that he was hoping to find.

There, growing in a pile of rubble, swaying from side to side in the calming night wind, grew the healing plant.


	19. Crystalline tears

Author note: Alas, the final installment of Abstract Silver has arrived. It's been great, seriously, and I can't thank those of you who have reviewed like mad and boosted the hits for this story past ten thousand. You all rock. Now I shall leave with my final thanks and that this story is dedicated to everyone who has taken interest in this story! Farewell!

* * *

**Abstract Silver**

**Crystalline tears

* * *

**

Cloud couldn't believe it.

The plant he had sought out and traveled for was right there in front of him. But most importantly it was _real_. His mind couldn't decide if it even existed or if it was just an old tale the people of Midgar whispered about from time to time. But now, now it existed more so than he ever thought possible and Cloud found himself breaking the plant away from the rubble before he even realized what he was doing.

Soft, yellow leaves brushed firmly against his fingers and there was no other sensation quite like it. Cloud could feel the pure power and imagined small blue sparks of electricity reflecting off his fingers when he studied it closely, hoping that this was the real thing.

Bright, arctic cold moonlight pooled down on him from above. Normally Cloud would have been stricken with shivers, but hope bloomed from inside of him and there was nothing that could deteriorate the flaming intensity that it brought. Nothing.

When Cloud finished reassuring himself of the rare yellow plant, he realized just how quiet it was without the storm raging dangerously above. There were no dark storm clouds hovering around and the constant flicker of lightning had vanished into oblivion. The blond was glad for the sudden change in the atmosphere and suddenly wished it would stay that way when the unmistakable hum of a helicopter motor became painfully loud as it neared.

If Shinra was really after him this time, Cloud couldn't afford to stay and fight. The plant needed to still have some life within it and Kadaj needed him back at the bar. The situation at hand left Cloud with only one option. He would have to run.

Quickly grabbing the discarded sword piece that had once pinned Loz to the ground, Cloud made a mad dash to the cliff that he had climbed up from below and stopped himself from going over the edge when a sleek, black helicopter with the Shinra logo on the side appeared seemingly out of nowhere.

Cloud couldn't see who was piloting the loud thing. He wasn't all too concerned about that though, just the fact that escaping from Northern Crater was about to get much, much worse. So, pivoting the heal of his left foot into the ground, Cloud spun himself around and began to run the other way, his hands wrapped protectively around the yellow plant.

Strong gusts of wind created by the helicopter threatened to knock the retreating man down, but Cloud maintained his balance and kept going. When he could feel it following him and the edge of another cliff nearly sending him flying, the blond was forced to stop.

If Shinra wanted a fight, he was going to give them a fight. Cloud only hoped that it wouldn't last long and that he'd survive long enough to make it back to the bar.

The helicopter slowly landed with practiced skill and the deafening noise the propellers created died out completely. Cloud watched with narrowed mako eyes as the pilot's door opened and out stepped someone the blond man was expecting the least to see.

It was Reno.

"Yo."

Reno, who was finishing off the last of a cigarette, walked towards Cloud in a laid back fashion, his eyes looking at the other Shinra helicopter that had been left behind.

"We've been looking everywhere for that." The red haired man pointed towards aerial machinery while tossing his now finished cigarette to the side. "Our tracking devices were damaged from the storm." Reno then looked suspiciously at Cloud. "Just what exactly are you doing here anyways?"

"Nothing that's of any importance now," Cloud lied, covering the plant within his hands even further.

"Well I can't imagine that you were the one who stole it. How exactly do you plan on getting down from here? I'm surprised you even managed to make it all this way without any help."

"I... don't know."

A buzzing noise came from within the helicopter that Reno had arrived in. The red haired man waved his hand as if to excuse himself and went to answer the call. Cloud could barely make out what exactly he was saying, but he didn't have time to care. He needed to get to Kadaj.

"Yeah, yeah, I hear you," came the pilot's voice from within the aerial machine.

Cloud turned to leave, intending to flee the barren place and make it to the bar as fast as he could and cure Kadaj of the Geostigma that plagued his body. However, as much as Cloud wished to do that, he was once again held back when Reno quickly finished off his call and came strolling over, completely oblivious to the urgent matter that Cloud was faced with.

"Another copter is going to pick that one up. Say Cloud, do you happen to know who was piloting that one?"

The blond glanced backwards, his pure mako eyes scanning over the transportation device that Yazoo and Loz had used to make it up here. He didn't know exactly if Reno would want to be informed of who had taken Shinra's helicopter, mainly because he assumed the pilot thought he and his partner had eliminated them earlier.

"Not a clue."

"Anyways, the Shachou wants me back there quickly, need a ride back?"

Cloud really didn't feel like having any help at the moment, but as he weighed out his options, the blond decided that it would cut the time he wasted in half and Reno might be able to get him to Seventh Heaven before it was too late.

But, was it already already too late for Kadaj?

* * *

His mind was stuck in the realm of unconsciousness and being aware of his surroundings. Sleep seemed like the perfect drug to his pain, but it could not simply make it disappear all together. Life wasn't that easy and he knew it never would be.

The humidity the storm had brewed up seemed to have left Midgar and the temperature of the room had cooled off drastically. It felt as gentle and as cold as a summer breeze in the night, and just as refreshing. This acted as a relaxing agent and Kadaj found that his pain seemed to be frozen in place for short periods of time.

Unconsciousness slowly drifted away and the silver haired rebel could feel his eyelashes brushing lightly against his cold, pale skin before he was able to look around the dark room. Crisp moonlight poured through the window like crystalline water and bathed Kadaj with a pure sensation, causing goose flesh to rise on his pale skin.

Kadaj stared blankly out the window, jade eyes glowing in the moonlight. But it was only the radiant light that gave his eyes the usual glow they once possessed. The silver haired rebel had lost even that and now he couldn't even move a fragment without the Geostigma hissing like a rampant fire and forcing him into submission.

From outside, Kadaj could hear the calming silence that had settled over Midgar and closed his eyes briefly, savoring the much needed break from the raging storm and let out a sigh, bitting his tongue when his lungs burned terribly.

There was something he felt, it was small but it was something, and Kadaj knew it had something to do with his brothers. He felt like something had been torn away from him and there was nothing else to suspect but the death of them.

Trying to move his head away from the ever growing itching that came from his neck, Kadaj was swept over with a wave of pain. He choked out for air, eyes opening in a split second as he felt the disease take a large grip over his body. It was to the point where it was unbearable and Kadaj feared that Cloud wouldn't make it in time. And he had never feared anything in his life like he feared the Geostigma now.

Suddenly, from outside, Kadaj heard the silence shattering into a million pieces as the low hum of an approaching machine of some sort came closer and closer to Midgar. His only thought was that it was Cloud and it was that thought alone that he used to hold onto the fading spark of life that he housed within his body.

_Hurry._

In an effort to look out the window, knowing that the moonlight would allow him the luxury of being able to see outside, Kadaj inhaled sharply, clenched his teeth together tightly and slowly tried to raise his head off his plush pillow.

The silver haired rebel only had enough time to quickly glance through the clear glass, but it was also enough time to also see the disturbing mess his skin had left behind.

Darker than the night itself, Kadaj painfully noticed a smear of what had to be the skin from his neck resting on the pillow where his head had once resting and swallowed the bile that had risen in his throat. He was falling apart like a doll with broken seams.

He had tried to see the outside world for more than ten seconds and he had failed. Resting his head back down and paying dearly for moving, Kadaj tried to block out the pain by using his mind as a temporary barrier, but it failed just like his attempt had before.

It was truly useless to flee from the Geostigma now.

_Click._

Kadaj moved his eyes quickly towards the door, hoping to find Cloud standing there with the plant that would cure his disease, but it wasn't coming from upstairs, it was coming from the floor below. Kadaj crossed his fingers inside his mind, wishing that it was Cloud, and found himself slowly drifting into a world of sleep.

He couldn't slip away now! He had to see his niisan again, to see _Cloud_ again. But, no matter how hard he tried, Kadaj was unable to fight against the force of sleep and found himself giving into it within a few short lived seconds.

Then something pulled him awake.

Kadaj slowly fluttered his eyes open once again, mentally cursing himself for giving in to what the Geostigma wanted. He couldn't see anything except for the decorations of the room and the window that pooled out a great amount of moonlight. However, as Kadaj began to tell himself that whatever had woken him up didn't exist, he heard the unmistakable noise of floorboards creaking.

"C-Clou-Cloud?"

Kadaj felt his lungs shrivel in pain and was flung upwards, coughing violently. He felt a warm liquid spray from his lips, cringing when the taste of copper became dreadfully obvious and greatly unwanted.

The floorboards beside the bed he currently lay in creaked once more, but this time Kadaj could make out the form of a body and then he saw a pair of pure mako eyes looking down at him with what Kadaj assumed was concern.

"Try to stay still."

He couldn't believe it. His niisan was really there. And how was it possible for him to stay still when he had been so bored out of his mind and been tormented with nothing but pain for many long hours? Kadaj ignored what Cloud had said and tried to reach out to him, but the Geostigma picked the perfect time to act up again and the silver haired rebel was forced to let his arm fall painfully to the side of the bed where it remained.

"You were gone for too long, you know," Kadaj rasped out, ignoring the swelling in his lungs that was becoming quite uncomfortable, more so than it had before.

"Yeah." Cloud placed the plant in a bowl he had snatched from downstairs and began to grind it up carefully with his fingers, still hoping that it would cure the disease, and fast. "Are you able to eat or drink anything?"

"Niisan, I can't do anything anymore."

From the moonlight that pooled into the room from the window, Cloud was able to see the pained expression on Kadaj's face and it was something he had never seen before in all his life. When he should have corrected Kadaj on his misuse of words, Cloud stopped, knowing fully that the silver haired rebel was to the point of forgetting things. But it wasn't that he was concerned about, it was the dark stain of the Geostigma on the pillow and the painful glitter that danced around in the depths of Kadaj's jade eyes.

It was just so, so vivid.

And he hated seeing that.

"Try to swallow some of this."

"This is the-the cure?"

Cloud gave a quick nod and bent over Kadaj, tipping the bowl so that the warm, gooey mixture could easy slide into the mouth of the weakening man. He prepared for Kadaj to spit it up, but the silver haired rebel looked up at him and did his best to swallow it completely, no matter how great the pain was now.

They waited several minutes afterwards in silence. Kadaj had pressed his head further into the pillow and had closed his eyes, waiting to be cured like a child waiting for their birthday present. Cloud watched while twirling the stem of the plant noiselessly between his thumb and index finger, and winced as he fully took in the bad condition that Kadaj had been brought to.

More than an hour had passed and still they waited.

Kadaj remained completely still, listening to his slow heart beat and his own soft breathing. Then, before he knew it, something began to spread through his body. And it wasn't a good thing.

He felt his heart wretch, his lungs cease their constant job, his muscles turn to nothing but unresponsive pieces of skin tissue. Kadaj felt the reaction to the plant take its full form and threw himself upright, grabbing his throat and clawing at it despite the pain and the fact that the heart of the Geostigma was only a few millimeters from his nails.

"Kadaj?" Cloud dropped the stem and rushed forwards. "Kadaj?" He saw the scared look in Kadaj's jade eyes and didn't know what was wrong. "Kadaj!"

The blond sat down on the bed and grabbed for the pair of pale hands that threatened to rip Kadaj's throat out. He carefully placed them to the sides of Kadaj and began to ask quiet questions while he started to panic inside.

"Kadaj? Can you hear me Kadaj?"

The silver haired rebel slowly lowered himself backwards, laying across Cloud's legs and staring blankly up at the ceiling above. His breathing was beyond irregular and when Cloud tried to find his pulse, the blond barely managed to find it.

"Cloud?"

Letting out a long kept sigh, Cloud looked down towards Kadaj.

"Where are you Cloud?"

The blond moved his head back slightly, surprised. Why he was only staring right down at him, but then it hit him. Kadaj couldn't see anymore.

"I'm right here."

Kadaj raised a deathly pale hand and reached upwards, searching for Cloud. The older man reached out for it and clasped it within his own and shuddered at how cold Kadaj felt. It wasn't normal by any means and it was frightening as well.

"Have you found the cure yet?"

"Yes Kadaj," Cloud whispered, feeling bad that he had fed Kadaj what had seemed to be the cure, but had really been nothing but poison to Kadaj's weakened body. "And everything will be alright."

"But it won't, will it?"

"I-"

"I really do miss mother, she should be here soon though."

"Don't say that," Cloud tried to speak a little bit louder, but was afraid of startling Kadaj. He couldn't go with Jenova. He couldn't. "Stay here for a while, Kadaj."

"Hnn." Kadaj seemed to think about it, his eyes staring at nothing and vacant of any emotions. "But mother said that I'll be leaving soon."

"No." Cloud felt a burning sensation rise up in his face to the point that it was painful. He could feel his eyes begin to move slightly from side to side and then a rush of crystalline tears appeared at the edge of them, only being held back by his eyelashes. But he wasn't going to do this, he wasn't going to...

"Mother," Kadaj whispered, the crisp moonlight pooling onto his pale face and giving it the normal color it had once been. But nothing was going to be like it was before.

Slowly, glimmering in the natural light, a single tear slid down the side of Cloud's face and rolled off his chin, landing onto the pale face of Kadaj. It was followed by another, and another...

"I feel so much better now, Cloud." The hand that Cloud held within his own went limp and then Cloud realized what was happening. "Thanks."

Cloud tried to grab onto Kadaj, but the silver haired man was already glowing brilliantly within the dark room, even brighter than the moonlight itself. He slowly broke away into small glowing orbs and before his face broke away like the rest of his body had, the silver haired rebel ushered his last good-byes and before Cloud could do anything, he broke apart.

The orbs drifted towards the moonlight and disappeared within it altogether. The room was filled with a strong presence, warm and welcoming, but it had become empty.

Dead empty.

Cloud remained seated upon the bed where Kadaj had once lain and kept his head bowed downwards. His chocobo blond hair hung like a curtain before his eyes as he went completely still, not moving one bit.

He was gone. Kadaj was gone. Gone _forever._

Placing a hand on his face, Cloud slowly looked upwards and out the window. He stared blankly at the moon and felt unaffected by the intensity of the moonlight, all emotions torn away from his whole being.

But, as his mako eyes, now slowly drying, looked into the glowing orb, Cloud knew that Kadaj was at peace. And the silver haired rebel had put a shade of peace over him as well for he felt complete and could feel the presence of Kadaj all around.

And as the moon slowly drifted from sight as sleep overruled his body, Cloud knew that Kadaj would be with him forever.


End file.
